


Soul Breaker

by Hopefullylost



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Angels, Angst, Archangels, Darkness, Deal with a Devil, Drinking, Fallen Angels, Fluff, Jongin is the Devil, M/M, Prisoner Kyungsoo, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, Seven Deadly Sins, Sex, Swearing, Swordfighting, don't know if it qualifies as smut but it's definitely sex, light - Freeform, that shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-22
Updated: 2018-02-26
Packaged: 2019-03-08 06:16:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 45,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13452258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hopefullylost/pseuds/Hopefullylost
Summary: I have no idea how to describe this story...Let's just say it's a shit-tone of sinning, sword fighting, drinking and shameless flirting. Also a very badass Kyungsoo.Idk what else to say. Have a nice day. Live long and prosper.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hellowwwww everyone!
> 
> This is a little Kaisoo fic inspired by Kai's memorable throne dance and D.O's drama "I Remember You" (which I haven't checked out yet, but still felt very inspired by the visuals).
> 
> I just wanted to have fun with this and kind of went with the flow. The fic is complete so i should post all of it very soon.
> 
> Warnings:  
> -if you're religious, i suggest you avoid this fic. My heretic ass has been a little disrespectful and i don't want to offend anyone.  
> -there's also the small matter of me not being a native english speaker (which you probably have noticed by now)  
> Anyway, apart from that we're all fine.
> 
> If you have deezer, there will be a playlist under my user and fic name. Feel free to listen while reading ;)
> 
> I'm shutting up now and leaving you to enjoy whatever this is <3

 

PART 1

Darkness

 

“Prisoner 104205”

There’s the fucking door sound. That annoying shit. Why do they feel so obliged to make it ring every fucking time they open a door? Isn’t it enough the metal clinks through the empty corridors and rattles against the concrete floor? Do they also have to let the entire state know they’re transferring a prisoner from one shithole to another?

The guard pushes Kyungsoo inside the special room, the one where the state-appointed lawyer usually makes a beautiful speech about how he’s going to get him out, free of this place, free of these charges, free of the death penalty.

It’s a load of bullshit.

Kyungsoo has no way out. He killed seven people. You can’t get away from that.

He lets the fucker push him on the metal chair and tie his hands to the table with a smirk. Kyungsoo feels like spitting in his face but he’s been to the hole too many times and he wouldn’t actually mind eating something else than stale bread for once.

There’s the fucking sound again and the guard is out, leaving Kyungsoo to stare at yet another wall. This one is significantly less interesting than the one in his cell where dumb shits have carved out penises and the numbers of days they have left in this place.

You usually don’t have long. If you’re here, that’s because you’re humanity’s scum, the worst of the worst.

He’s interrupted in his wall contemplation by the sound. Again. Kyungsoo winces, closing his fists and letting his nails bite his skin to drown out the sudden wave of annoyance. Whoever is coming, he’s going to send them back to their little insignificant life, so he can get on with the short one he himself still has left.

Not for long, though. Not for long.

There aren’t any footsteps, any sound of breathing, anything, and when the form enters Kyungsoo’s field of vision, he’s a little surprised.

He takes a second look and he’s more than a little surprised.

He expected the suburban dad with missing hair, a round belly and a worn-out leather bag he’s never been able to replace because his pathetic ability to practice law hasn’t been able to save his already miserable track record. Another one of those men whose parents deemed lawyer or doctor an acceptable job and shoved the position down their child’s throat. Another usual state fat man.

There is hair on this one, and that’s not the only thing there is. He clearly isn’t a state lawyer, Kyungsoo can tell by just looking at the suit. It’s classy, expensive, of the most perfect, absolute black color with a matching black shirt underneath. The shoes are shiny, still black. This guy looks like he’s going to a funeral or a very special kind of party. The cut is… sinful, hugging all the right places in all the right ways.

It isn’t the only thing Kyungsoo is surprised to see. His face. He doesn’t think he’s ever seen a lawyer with a face like this before. Actually, he doesn’t think he’s ever seen anyone with a face like this before.

The man is not handsome in an ethereal way. He’s not model or singer beautiful. No, he’s the kind of beauty that would make you lower your eyes in the street and stare from under your lashes. He’s the guy you’d never approach, because there would be no way in hell a guy like that would give a shit about you, would spare you a second glance, let alone fuck you.

No, that guy has a dark, mysterious, fuckboy vibe. And something else. There’s the overall feeling of power emanating from him, almost transpiring in the way his eyes toy with what they’re staring at, the way his lips curl in a mocking smirk, the way he leans nonchalantly against the wall, the way his hands are tucked loosely in his trousers’ pockets. He knows. He knows exactly what he does to people and what he is.

In more physical details, he’s tall, lean but muscular with wide shoulders, long legs and bronze skin. The face: razor sharp jaw, plumb lips, aquiline nose, perfectly shaped brows, wide forehead, raven hair messily slicked back.

But the unique thing about the guy is really his eyes. The particularity isn’t in the shape. It’s in the color.

They’re red. Vibrant blood red circling pupils darker than night.

He’s wearing contacts, obviously, but Kyungsoo has never seen contacts of this quality before.

The man gets a hand out of his pocket and slender fingers come to wipe the corner of his mouth. He has a few rings, all silver, all engraved in a language Kyungsoo doesn’t recognize.

The sight sure is nicer than a wall and Kyungsoo takes his time admiring the view, taking it all in. After all, he is going to die in a couple of days. Might as well enjoy a good full meal while it stands waiting in front of him.

He does know this kind of man however. And he knows what the guy will want. What guys in an impeccable suit all want.

“I don’t kill for money,” is all he says before the other man can ask him. Always get the upper hand with these assholes. They already think the world belongs to them, better not serve them what they want on a silver platter.

The man chuckles, fingers still on his mouth, his eyes coming to stare directly in Kyungsoo’s with force.

Oh, this one is dangerous. More so then Kyungsoo evaluated.

“A sharp-edged mind wrapped in such a cute package. You are something, aren’t you?”

The voice is surprisingly deep, rolls like thunder, coming to curl itself deep inside Kyungsoo’s bone marrow.

He’s taken aback by his words. Even more so by his next move.

“May I sit?”

His hands come to rest on the back of the chair facing the prisoner, his eyes alive and sparkling with delight.

Kyungsoo doesn’t answer, just stares, brows furrowed.

The man rolls his eyes and drags the chair without making the usual unpleasant sound of metal scraping concrete, taking a seat in one motion.

It’s almost like watching a dancer move. Smooth and strong at the same time. Controlled. Powerful.

He puts his elbows on the table, intertwines his fingers and rests his head on top, smirk still in place. Kyungsoo suddenly feels a little uncomfortable under those eyes, seemingly reading him like he’s an open book, reaching for his mind and body effortlessly.

“What do you want?” he asks, caught off guard.

The man takes his time to answer. “Do Kyungsoo. Born 1993 in IIsandong-gu. No relatives alive, all killed in an arson fire started by seven men. All dead, thanks to you.”

His voice is far from accusatory. It sounds almost pleased, his eyes still gleaming, making Kyungsoo wonder what this man has taken exactly to be this high.

The creepy thing is, he doesn’t have any file in front of him. He’s memorized all this, knows it by heart.

It’s unsettling. Kyungsoo doesn’t like it.

“Due to die in sixteen days. Such a shame, don’t you think?”

Kyungsoo’s frown deepens. The fuck.

“Cut the shit, man. What do you want?” he asks, anger lacing his voice this time.

The man chuckles again and lets his arms fall off the table, leaning back in his chair in a nonchalant posture. How can he look so comfortable on one of those fucking prison chairs?

“I’m here to make you a proposition” he finally answers, eyes leaving him at last to gaze with obvious disinterest upon their surroundings.

“I’m not interested” Kyungsoo immediately says, eager to end this foolish interview and go back to his cell.

“Don’t you at least want to hear what I have to offer?”

The eyes are back on him. They look at him with such fascination and interest Kyungsoo feels almost compelled to make an exception. After all, this man is different. Creepy kind of different, but still.

“Go ahead.”

He looks… delighted.

His fingers come to caress the table, the perfectly smooth skin barely touching the overused metal.

“What if I told you I could get you out of that prison, out of that sentence weighting on your head?”

“I’d say you’re a liar and a sham, just like the rest of them.”

He looks at him and they stare at each other. Those eyes, those eyes are captivating. So alive, so full of feeling and almost… burning.

“Interesting. Most people start listening after this part.” He seems genuinely surprised.

Kyungsoo doesn’t back down. “I’m just not that stupid, mister…?”

He might just as well get the guy’s name, if anything suspicious were to happen after this.

He moves, fast, smooth, like a human snake.

“I have different names, but you may call me Kim Jongin.”

“Sure. Whatever you say.”

Kyungsoo is bored now. He wants to go, leave this strange man and his delusions alone.

“What if I told you you were meant for more than a pitiful death, Kyungsoo?”

The prisoner huffs and a little laugh escapes him. “You’re funny. But I don't remember giving you permission to call me by my first name.”

Kim Jongin smiles then, a smile hard to miss and hard to stand up to. Sharp like a knife, beautiful like the sun.

No. Not like the sun. The fire in his eyes cannot make up for the darkness in his every move, in his every word. He doesn’t look like a sun creature. He looks like a shadow dancing in the night, the reflection of a stranger passing by, a shiver of pleasure and its matching blaze of passion, of hatred, all at the same time.

This man isn’t a creature of light. He’s a creature of darkness.

He isn’t beautiful like the sun. He’s beautiful like the moon.

“You’re adorable,” the man coos but it is contradictory to the light in his eyes, the curve of his lips.

“Fuck off” is all Kyungsoo answers and the taller leans in, too close for Kyungsoo’s liking. Who the hell does this asshole think he is?

“You’re dangerously close to offending me.”

Again, his expression doesn’t match his words. He does not look offended in the slightest. If anything, he looks like he’s having the time of his life. Kyungsoo isn’t.

“And you're dangerously close to having my fist mess up those perfect teeth.”

There is a split second of surprise before he laughs, deep, rolling like sand in the desert and waves in the ocean. It’s a beautiful sound, a dangerous sound that has Kyungsoo’s heart racing for some reason.

Those fucking eyes come back on him. “Oh, I like you. You’re… different.”

Kyungsoo doesn’t know what he’s talking about but he doesn’t care. This has lasted long enough. It’s time to go back to his shitty bunk.

The sound of the door surprises him. He hasn’t even called the guard yet.

He turns around to see it open on its own. He blinks, turns back towards the man to see him do something impossible.

He snaps his fingers and the chains around his wrists disappear. He watches with round eyes, seeing the bruises on his skin for the first time in a long time, cracking his bones freely. He raises his eyes sharply, not moving an inch, his hands a little shield between himself and the other man.

“What the fuck?!”

The man seems _delighted_. He drums his fingers over the table excitedly, humming. His eyes shine bright and suddenly the chains on his ankles are gone as well.

He looks down, up, down, up again and he stops, focusing at last on what’s really in front of him.

The power, the beauty, the eyes. How could he have been so blind?

“What are you exactly?”

The man, if he’s even a man, leans in closer, closer than he’s ever been before. Kyungsoo is tempted to back down but he’s supposed to die in two weeks, how worse can this be?

“It’s not what. It’s who.”

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. “Alright, drama queen. Who?”

Kim Jongin raises a brow. “You’re not at all impressed by this, are you?”

He shrugs. “I’ve seen strange shit.” There is silence before he asks again. “So? Who are you?”

Kim Jongin wrinkles his nose in distaste and if this wasn’t such an impossible situation, Kyungsoo would probably find it cute.

“I believe your people call me _Agma,_ although I really dislike that word.”

Kyungsoo lets out a quiet breath and whispers. “Devil”

The man wrinkles his nose again and he huffs, getting back up so fast Kyungsoo barely has time to register the movement. Tall and handsome straightens his already perfectly pressed suit and draws a hand through his hair.

“Yes, yes, yes,” He steps towards the door and crosses the threshold without any guard coming to stop him, looking both ways like he’s simply crossing the road. He stands there for a second before turning around, eyes on him. “Well, Do Kyungsoo, aren’t you going to follow me?”

It’s a good question, one Kyungsoo is currently asking himself. It’s such a stupid idea but at the same time he isn’t really sure he has any other option.

The Devil. Surely, he’s dreaming. Surely, he’s already dead, killed in his sleep by his cellmate.

Does it matter? Does anything matter anymore? Kyungsoo is past the point of caring. His family is long gone, his enemies dead, murdered by his hands. He has nowhere to go, no one to trust. Why not follow the Devil or whoever this guy is? Why not live this dream or nightmare to the fullest?

Do Kyungsoo has nothing left but he has this. This ultimate decision. His last wish.

He gets up and walks to the other man, red eyes immediately coming to rest on him.

“Take the lead,” is all he says and Kim Jongin smiles in a way Kyungsoo is sure the Devil only can.

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Jongin is impatient to get out of here. This place is boring. Desperate humans are boring.

It usually doesn’t take much for them to give in to him. They are so attached to this fragile little thing they call life, they would do anything to keep breathing.

Young humans are so much more interesting, full of hope and desires. Untamed and raw in the brightest and darkest ways. Jongin never has enough of the challenge they represent, the game he plays with them.

Unfortunately, business is running low. Souls are lacking, forgiven easily by his father, offered Heaven in such ways they never used to be. Now Jongin has no other choice but to scramble for scraps, pry on easy souls so Hell doesn’t fall into ruins.

Today, fortunately, isn’t one of those days. Today is bright and perfect in all its uncertainty.

Do Kyungsoo is a precious diamond, all sharp edges and dark smoking colors. Jongin hasn’t had fun like this is in such a long time. It is refreshing.

The man is delicious to look at: short cropped hair and huge brown eyes, heart shaped lips, toned little body. Strong and weak. Dark and light. Brutally honest and masterfully skilled at lying. A tormentor tormented.

But his mind really is the most beautiful thing to admire. The struggle, the questions, the resolve. It makes Jongin’s spine crawl with anticipation and delight. The possibilities. So many possibilities.

Finally, someone worthy of his attention.

The escape isn’t really an escape. There isn’t anything that can stand in his way, not in such a place.

They reach the parking lot without any significant interruption. He pulls the minds of the guards and lets them open the doors, lets them give in to their inner desires. It feels so gratifying.

One thing he’s never understood is the need humans have for control. They could rage such beautiful chaos, why hide behind restraints and laws? Such pitiful things. So Heaven-esque of them.

Do Kyungsoo has followed silently, his mind quiet in such a way Jongin has rarely seen. This man really is ready to die if he barely questions the existence of the Devil.

He is staring at the sky like it’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. He did not think he’d ever see it again. How depressing.

“All right, let’s move on to more interesting matters,” he cheerfully announces, rubbing his palms. The former prisoner turns his eyes towards him, dark and focused. Jongin can barely stand in place.

Perhaps he has finally found what he has always been looking for. A human to serve him willingly, a partner on this earth. He hasn’t signed any contract yet. His soul doesn’t belong to Jongin, not in the slave-master way.

Jongin expects so much more of him.

Others have failed this, failed to give half of themselves to him and keep the other half human. They all succumb to darkness eventually. They all become demons, with feelings and thoughts of their own but a will submitted to his, an individuality lost forever.

Humanity doesn’t withstand complete and absolute darkness, Jongin has learned over time.

Do Kyungsoo is watching him with a raised brow, waiting. Jongin smirks, pulling keys out of his pocket and calling to life his little attraction.

The smaller man watches the car roar to life with little interest. The piece of technology usually sparks emotions in the hearts of men: envy, jealousy, regret, want, admiration, and so on.

But Do Kyungsoo isn’t impressed by cars, however expensive and gorgeous.

“Where are we going?” he asks very matter of factly.

Jongin smiles. “Somewhere you’ve never been before.”

They get inside the car, the strong smell of leather immediately assaulting his sensitive nose. Such a wonderful smell.

He lets the motor purr before he leaves the prison walls behind at delicious speed. He feels it then, the slight fear emanating from the other man, the first flicker of emotion.

“Where’d you get your license?” he asks, his hand rising to grip at the handle above his head.

Jongin smiles, taking a sharp turn at full speed. The thrill of it all, the danger, it makes his blood sing.

“I don’t have a license.”

“Of course.”

The little shiver of fear is there again, a ripple amongst plain calm water Jongin feels over his mind. This man is a masterpiece of control or a mastermind at cloaking. Either way, he is quite the challenge to read.

“Would you like to see Hell, Do Kyungsoo?” Jongin asks, eager to get back home with his new toy.

“I don’t think I have much of a choice.” He sounds so unfazed, it makes Jongin laugh. “How do we get there?”

To this, Jongin just smiles. They’re coming along the edge of the mountain, the new turn ending directly into the empty void. He pushes the accelerator, the delightful shiver of fear resonating with the anticipation in his own bones.

“We jump.”

The car roars and the wheels leave the ground. They fall, towards nothingness, towards the bottom of the earth, the darkness beneath their feet.

Do Kyungsoo doesn’t make a sound, only closes his eyes.

When he feels the road under the wheels again, he opens them back.

“Welcome to hell, Do Kyungsoo.”


	2. Chapter 2

Hell.

Hell isn’t hot. It isn’t burning like the movies he’s seen. It isn’t filled with the screams of sinners or the laughs of demons.

It’s dark, lightened only by rays of blue light. Moon rays.

It makes sense in a way. Heaven has the sun. Hell has the moon.

The landscape is raw, mountains cut down by a lake and trees of an impressive height. A forest, followed by a desert, followed by foggy swamps, followed by the black earth of a dead volcano. On top of the ashes stands a beautiful castle of an impressive size. Elevated towers, elegant blue rooftops, tall windows. The geography is all wrong there, water running near the volcano, trees planted in the middle of the strong stream, desert on the other side.

Suddenly, Kyungsoo realizes the mistake people have commonly made.

Hell isn’t hell because it is a nightmare of senses. Hell is hell because it is nothing. It isn’t horrifying, isn’t visually striking, isn’t stinking of despair, isn’t burning to the touch, isn’t an assault of many flavor, isn’t filled with unbarring sounds. Hell simply isn’t. It is nature in its purest form. It is void. It is emptiness.

In comparison, Kim Jongin is full of life, a bright beacon, a powerful presence one is automatically drawn to. He navigates the path with ease, familiarity in his every move, every decision. The Devil is perfectly used to the darkness that is his home.

Kyungsoo also understands now, how someone can go crazy in this place, can worship the only form of humanity there is left. An eternity condemned to walk this empty earth, the only meaning one can find is probably the light in those blood red eyes.

“Do disregard the aspect of the Mansion. My brothers have extravagant tastes.”

His brothers. Surely, he doesn’t mean…

Fallen angels.

“Are you all really brothers?” he asks, suddenly curious.

The man winces a little. “No. It’s… an expression. We resemble more… what is the human equivalent of this?”

“Friends?” Kyungsoo suggests.

“Yes. Friends.”

Kyungsoo nods once. Then…

“Isn’t… God your father?”

There is a sudden drop in temperature. Sensitive subject apparently.

“My father did not conceive us the way you humans do. He created us on his own and in the way he saw fit.”

Each word is full of weight and meaning. The charming face has turned absolutely blank, emotions reigned in the blink of an eye.

The Devil is as skillfully deceitful as in the stories.

 _Dangerous_ , Kyungsoo has to remind himself.

“What happened then? Shouldn’t you have stayed the way he wanted you to be?”

The question is impertinent. He is testing the limits, pushing his patience. But Kyungsoo wants to know.

“Humans… Always so fascinated by what you cannot possibly understand,” Kim Jongin depreciably comments.

“You’re the one who tempted us with knowledge if I remember correctly, or is that another shit we got wrong?”

Kim Jongin’s face breaks, the cold façade replaced by a warm smile. He turns to look at Kyungsoo, his eyes gleaming with pleasure. “Such an interesting mind, Do Kyungsoo.”

“Sure.”

He looks out the window and is quite surprised when he hears the other man’s voice.

“My father wanted his creations to be perfect in every way. He wanted Earth to be green and prosperous, humans to be docile and naïve, animals to behave and coexist. He wanted all things to be beautiful in a harmonious way.”

Kyungsoo is watching him, focused, curious.

“However, what my father failed to predict was his own weakness. An all-powerful creature cannot conceive beings obedient in all things. They are bound to be made aware of their existence. Aware of their own minds, of their own flaws. Aware of how they choose to spend eternity.”

There is pain laced in his words. He is not trying to hide it. It is raw like this whole place, ancient but seemingly more alive with every passing moment.

“Some of us failed to meet my father’s… criteria. And so we fell.”

Kyungsoo doesn’t know what to say so he reacts with yet another question.

“What about the others, the ones who stayed?”

“They casted us out on my father’s orders. They eliminated the flaws in the system. Just like your own little society.”

“We’re different,” Kyungsoo says. “We have flaws you couldn’t possibly imagine.”

He thinks about the stories he’s heard, about the men in that prison. Some were so similar to the men he had killed, some worse even. Humanity is a fucked up thing. Flaws doesn’t even begin to cover it.

“I know all about Humanity’s flaws, Do Kyungsoo. Flaws are not crimes. Crimes I punish. Flaws I encourage.”

His voice is soothing, clear in a way Kyungsoo does not want to contradict. Crimes he punishes, he said. Flaws he encourages.

They remain silent until they reach the castle. It is massive and beautiful. Sophisticated. Kyungsoo wishes he’d seen this in his life before, such intent to make simple stone look so majestic. It’s a power of sorts.

They exit the car and the Devil is back to his charming self, all black soothing edges and hidden thorns.

Kyungsoo is surprised as the cold air hits him hard, slamming into his lungs, freezing his blood. He is used to being cold in his cell but this is different. This cold takes roots inside himself, making him feel uneasy. Almost… scared.

He is relieved when they move towards the entrance. The moment they reach the doors, they are opened for them by a pale man. He is nothing, Kyungsoo understands quickly. He hadn’t realized how tasteless real humans felt in comparison to the Devil. How plain.

He bows before the both of them and Kyungsoo just watches with a raised brow. Then, his attention is stolen away by the interior.

It reeks luxury and debauchery. The crimson long curtains, expensive furniture, rich art, colorful patterns of the carpets. It is beautiful and so so extravagant Kyungsoo comes to understand the other man’s warning.

They climb a flight of stairs before stepping into a room of ridiculous proportions, grand and pompous but also warm and welcoming in all its colors and scents.

Enormously large windows give a splendid view over the black ash volcano, kilometers on end. Standing majestically in the middle is a masterpiece of a fireplace filled with roaring flames. Carpets are thrown around without aim, couches of all sizes gathered, expensive glasses set on ebony tables, marble antics surrounding it all.

“JONGIN!”

The sound is deafening, coming from the double stairwell on their left. Someone appears, a man Kyungsoo has trouble seeing clearly from such a long distance. He is quite sure however that the man jumps from the top of the stairs to land in perfect manner at the bottom. It all seems effortless, an undisturbed smirk on his face as he starts walking towards them.

He is a beautiful man. Blond hair, impossibly tall and lean, muscles lacing pale skin. Huge dark eyes and pouty lips. Brows naturally drawn together in a frown, cheekbones clearly visible.

He is very different from Kim Jongin. They do not look alike at all. The energy is absolutely not the same, absolutely not as powerful.

“You’re back!” the intruder says. His voice is nasal in a pleasant way. His eyes come to rest on Kyungsoo and he frowns. “And you’ve brought another pet.”

Kyungsoo feels anger surge and he remembers his hands are free this time, free to strike down this smug son of a bitch if he dares call him that again.

“Do Kyungsoo isn’t keen on being called a pet. I believe addressing him by his proper name would be wise.”

Kyungsoo turns towards Kim Jongin and he sees the eyes do their usual gleaming but this time it’s different. This time it’s almost like he’s sharing a secret with Kyungsoo, almost like he’s seen Kyungsoo’s intent to punch the other man in the face.

The intruder nods but makes no move to introduce himself. Kim Jongin huffs.

“Do Kyungsoo, this is my brother-not-my-brother Oh Sehun.”

He nods in his turn and Oh Sehun takes his leave. “I’ll go warn our brother you’re back.”

Kyungsoo watches him leave gracefully, his long legs dancing on the ground.

“All right. I’ll have someone show you to your room. You’re free to go wherever you please, but I’d advise against the others’ room. Dinner will be served when you’re ready.”

He is about to turn and leave him there when he seems to remember something. “Oh, you may also want to change your clothes. I have nothing against orange, but it really isn’t your color.”

It’s a jab, a little joke that does its effect as Kyungsoo serves a well deserved “Fuck you” that has Kim Jongin chuckle.

Kim Jongin. He might as well start calling him Jongin if he’s here to stay.

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Jongin gets back to his room in a heartbeat. He is eager to start. There is so much to do, so much to show his new pet.

Well, perhaps he should not call him that. Servant does not feel fitting either as he hasn’t signed a contract yet, isn’t under his orders. Perhaps just associate for now. It sounds so fair, a sense of equality that has Jongin laugh to himself.

He showers and changes. The shower really isn’t needed. He is an all-mighty being after all. Thank Seth he doesn’t have the same stupidly weak body constitution humans do.

He is selecting a suit for the evening when someone barges in his rooms, the immediate smell of tantalizing cologne announcing the man more clearly than any name.

“Oh he is adorable! You must let me taste him first.”

 Jongin turns around, his eyes rolling high.

“Baekhyun, please. You already had the last one.”

His brother leans against the closed door, his black satin suit shining in the soft light.

“And she was such an absolute pleasure to wreck… But she lacked edge. Let me try this one, Jongin.”

Jongin shakes his head. His brother was not cast out of Heaven for nothing. His lust remains one of his very prominent sins.

Sins that have Jongin often indulge his brother in more ways than he should. So many of his toys have lost their minds, their sanity to Baekhyun’s erotic games. He does not wish to lose yet another so soon.

“No,” he says, his voice firm as he picks out the dark blue suit with the golden embroidery. “This one is special. I want to see what I can make of him first.”

There is a five second silence, usually the only amount of time Baekhyun is able to restrain himself from speaking before he smiles a little smirk, making the long silver chain tied to his bottom lip clink.

“You think he is the one?”

His voice is surprised but a little mocking. Jongin has been searching for the particular human for so long, he almost has lost hope himself.

“Perhaps. We’ll see.”

He tightens the high wasted trousers around the shirt, softening the fabric with the palm of his hand. Baekhyun comes to tuck the little tie under the collar and works his beautiful hands to perfect the knot effectively.

He helps him get into the jacket and lets out a little whistle of admiration. He smiles, perfect white teeth illuminating his face.

“Don’t worry. He won’t be able to resist.”


	3. Chapter 3

Kyungsoo has no other choice but to wear a suit. There is an impossible collection in a room adjacent to his, from silk shirts to shiny shoes. He throws on the least conspicuous, more comfortable looking white shirt with black pants and leather shoes. He feels surprisingly at ease in them.

The room is… Well it is. Enormous bed with purple and golden curtains, purple and golden couches, purple and golden carpets. Marquetry walls, floors. Glass windows.

He feels strangely at ease, like this is all normal and he isn’t barging into the world of extravagant maniacs.

The woman that showed him to his room is a little thing who barely talks, silent and solemn, standing straight, awaiting instructions. She isn’t particularly beautiful or particularly anything.

Kyungsoo wonders if anyone is really particular anything in comparison to the house and its inhabitants.

He meets Byun Baekhyun on his way downstairs. The man looks like he was waiting for him, all curvy smile and slim body draped in impeccable black silk.

He is temptation incarnate.

The dark wet hair accentuates the shadows of his face. Hypnotic black eyes almost drowning out the pupils, lined with smoky liner and impossibly long lashes. He has a delicate nose, red lips, two silver chains hanging from his bottom lip to his collar, little rings of silver on his ears and on his hands.

Those hands. The most perfect, beautiful hands he has ever seen.

He wants to both cuddle and fuck the shit out of him. It is a strange feeling. A pull and attraction different than Kim Jongin, different than Oh Sehun.

There is no humanity left in this creature, Kyungsoo can sense it, and yet, he looks fragile in impossible ways, a turmoil of wonders and emotions.

It makes Kyungsoo’s blood sing with irrepressible desire. To grip the man and never let him escape. To make him his.

He shakes his head, snapping out of it.

The man as it turns out, is impossible.

He doesn’t stand in place, speaks all the time, crowds Kyungsoo’s space in a way that makes him grit his teeth. His appearance and personality are a constant push and pull in Kyungsoo’s stomach, his presence making him so uncomfortable he is actually glad when they reach the living room.

He hopes there aren’t anymore fallen angels to meet because he’s running low on patience.

Oh Sehun is already there, sipping on something dark that must be red wine. Byun Baekhyun finally leaves Kyungsoo’s side, abandoning his unanswered questions to come sit next to the tall blond. He is immediately brought a glass of the same liquid. He tastes the first sip and lets out an indecent sound that, despite Kyungsoo’s best intentions, goes right to his groin.

“Château Margaux 1787” Oh Sehun comments as unimpressed as ever. It seems the man isn’t fazed by anything at all.

He should drop the formalities for those men as well. His mind is weary with the flow of information and tiring it out uselessly isn’t something Kyungsoo wants to do.

Baekhyun moves then and he casually slips one of Sehun’s thighs between his, crossing a leg over it in the most natural posture, leaning against the other’s shoulder with an aching familiarity.

“Sir, if you please” a man addresses him, designating the chair at the end of both couches. Kyungsoo sits and he is offered a drink, like the rest of them.

“Beer, please.”

Baekhyun makes a distressed sound and Sehun judges him from afar.

Kyungsoo receives the bottle of fresh beer with a thanks and indulges in the bitter taste joyfully, having forgotten what beer tastes like. It’s refreshing, helping him stare down Sehun with the same level of contempt.

“Master” Kyungsoo hears and there is suddenly a form moving next to him, taking place on the couch facing the two perfect looking beings.

He doesn’t know how he moves so silently, almost like a shadow.

Jongin looks like royalty. A king. The King of Hell.

There is liner on his eyes as well now, sharpening the red color, making them stand scarily. Kyungsoo is uncomfortable watching him, feeling suddenly an overwhelming wave of fear and weakness. He is unworthy to gaze into those eyes, unworthy to stay seated next to this… god.

It is gone as quickly as it came when the Devil turns his eyes on him, becoming Kim Jongin once again. The terror of being crushed is replaced by burning interest. It is drawing Kyungsoo in like a flame, the heat of that gaze burning his skin, making his blood boil and sing. Control is out of his hand. He has never felt so revigorated.

The helplessness, he never wants to feel that again. He wants the power and confidence of that stare, the promise of eternity and strength it offers. Now he understands how one can lose himself in the Devil’s eyes.

Something changes suddenly. Kyungsoo realizes what Jongin is offering isn’t just a contract. It is consideration, it is power, it is strength. All he needs, all he’s lost in that prison. He doesn’t let it show but suddenly he is considering signing a contract with this man, signing whatever the hell it takes for his heart never to feel so lost again.

But then the eyes leave him and the rush is gone, replaced by anger and self-depreciation. Kyungsoo knows better than this. He knows better than to succumb to temptation so easily.

All things in life are difficult. What is easily given isn’t worth what is hardly earned.

It is distasteful, even to his own ears, but he knows it to be true. However, he’s not stupid enough to speak of this around the Devil. This is far from the sins he encourages, far from the flaws of mankind he speaks of so affectionately.

Kyungsoo is expecting a big table, a served dinner but they eat here. The dishes are more delicious than anything he’s ever tasted, although he doubts he can truly appreciate anything he’s eating seeing how fast he’s gulping the whole thing. Food in prison was so tasteless and scarce, he is content with his decision to come here for this sole reason.

He doesn’t ask any more questions. He doesn’t need to. They tell him everything he needs to know through their conversation.

They are five fallen angels, two others gone for an undetermined period of time. The humans working here are lost souls, trapped between heaven and hell, condemned to walk the endless desert of purgatory that is the landscape on the other side of the windows. They are not the souls condemned to Hell upon their death. Those Jongin keeps trapped in a special place he visits regularly to torture them.

This is all casually shared throughout dinner, just as casually as someone commenting on the perfection that is their meal.

Madness lies there, madness behind the beauty.

It is only at dessert, when Kyungsoo feels his stomach so full it’s about to explode that he meets one.

A real actual demon.

Demons, as Baekhyun kindly provided without him asking anything, are half human, half hellish creatures. They signed a contract to give up their souls to Jongin before they died, trading a wish for their remaining lives against an eternity of servitude.

They scare Kyungsoo even if he would never admit it.

The woman is small, but her presence fills the room. She is burned to the highest degree, skin gone, muscles exposed. Kyungsoo feels the contents of his stomach ready to spill on the floor. But he won’t give Sehun the satisfaction of watching him puke on his shoes.

“Johanna, do cover up your face, dear. Don’t you see we have a guest?” Baekhyun asks and the flesh is gone in a flash of the woman’s eyes, replaced by attractive features.

She is nothing compared to the three brothers, but she would still be a dark beauty to the eyes of other humans.

She bows before the three of them, respect outmost and pure in her green eyes as she reports to Jongin. He listens intently and gets up, walking to her when she is done.

Kyungsoo is almost not surprised when he plants a tender kiss on her lips and dismisses her, telling her to enjoy herself before he has to call upon her again.

Three others come until Jongin orders not to be disturbed again, demanding written reports instead. Both men and women, all attractive, all docile and respectful in the presence of their master, all kissed on the lips affectionately.

It is weird, to say the least. But it isn’t the strangest thing Kyungsoo has ever witnessed.

It tires Kyungsoo however and he retires at some point. He has no idea what time it is, no clock present anywhere, no sun coming to light up the dark earth.

He has to remember he is in Hell. Hell doesn’t belong in the comforting light of the sun. It belongs in the cold shining rays of the moon.

He drops on the bed, his head rolling to the side, the softness of the sheets pulling him to sleep, inviting in such a way he hasn’t felt in a long time.

He wants this, he knows now. It is a dark and twisted universe, so far from reality it all feels like a dream, but a beautifully decadent dream in comparison to the nightmare he has lived in for so long.

Tomorrow he’ll tell Jongin he is going to stay. Tomorrow he’ll tell the Devil he will play his game.

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Jongin has Do Kyungsoo’s things retrieved and a dead body disguised as his planted in his cell.

He felt it, the resolve of the former prisoner. He does not want to go back. And Jongin is all too happy to comply, to bury the insignificant former Do Kyungsoo to infuse the new one with greatness and purpose. To make him feel so powerful he’ll never doubt himself again.

“Jongin, darling, where did you find him? He is so completely unaware of my charms I am beginning to wonder if he is perhaps blind” Baekhyun pouts, leaning his head over Sehun’s shoulder.

Sehun curves his lips in disdain, his brows drawing even tighter on his perfect features. “He is distasteful. Not the slightest bit afraid of me.”

If Baekhyun succumbed to lust, Sehun succumbed to pride. He is the very image, a beautiful man, impetuous and contemptuous with all creatures except his brothers. Jongin has never feared him like he has feared his father’s pride because he knows Sehun’s loyalty lies with him, forever and always. The Devil had freed them from their father’s clutches and for that his brothers were eternally grateful.

Their reaction is delightful. He was not wrong. Do Kyungsoo is different.

His distance and obvious disinterest in both brothers has them both rattled. Neither temptation have trapped Do Kyungsoo.

Jongin isn’t a fool. He knows if they had wanted him, really wanted him, his brothers would have both gotten him, screaming in Baekhyun’s bed, crying at Sehun’s feet.

But they have both respected his wish and Jongin is grateful. They have not fallen together for nothing. Their bond is unshakable, the only constant they can always rely upon.

“How are Jongdae and Minseok doing?” he asks, finally able to breach the subject now that the former prisoner is gone.

He does not mean to hide anything from him but he also does not mean to expose him to matters he is not ready to handle just yet.

Sehun is the one to answer, waving Baekhyun away. The smaller man makes his kicked puppy face and focuses on his wine with a pout.

“Jongdae sent word this morning. They have found its exact location but are unable to breach the barrier. Minseok has encouraged humans to cross it but every time they do, they claim not to find anything behind.”

Jongin sighs. This is an unfortunate turn of event. They need the sword of the archangel if they mean to breach Heaven.

“Why don’t you ask your little human to do it?” Baekhyun asks, still brooding.

Sehun turns towards him in a swift move. “The pet?!”

Jongin frowns and he leans towards his brothers. “Maybe one day. But not now. He isn’t ready.”

It took them two thousand years to find the sword. Jongin can wait a little longer to steal it.

He isn’t a very patient man but this is worth the wait. The face of his father when he’ll realize. It makes his skin crawl with anticipation.

He bids his brothers goodnight. He isn’t going to sleep. He does not need seep, but he has work to do.

People to torment.


	4. Chapter 4

He wakes up to Byun Baekhyun lying next to him on the bed, his eyes focused on his face, finger tracing Kyungsoo’s lips.

The storm of desire dancing in his pupils has Kyungsoo breathless for a minute, tantalized and unguarded. All he can think about is reaching to touch, to let his fingers caress that delicious looking skin, to let his tongue wreck those beautiful red lips.

He catches himself at the last minute, breaking the spell by rising quickly and getting as physically far as possible.

Baekhyun has a startled expression before he frowns, his head coming to rest on his hand.

“You’re no fun, Do Kyungsoo.”

He does not seem the least bit embarrassed, lying there in his grey velvet suit. The chain on his lips is gone, the rings on his ears replaced by long emerald earrings. The liner is of a matching green color. Even his hair has changed, now a bright silver matching to perfection the color of his clothes.

Kyungsoo has never been more aroused and repulsed at the same time.

“What the fuck are you doing?” he asks breathlessly, a clear warning in his voice not to come any closer.

Baekhyun sighs, moving gracefully off the bed and hanging himself loosely from the bed post, looking bored.

“Jongin asked me to come wake you. You looked so peaceful in your sleep, I didn’t want to disturb you.”

The answer seems genuine but Kyungsoo is still wary. Baekhyun seems to notice and he plants his black eyes in his.

“I would never do anything you wouldn’t want me to, Do Kyungsoo.” The seriousness of his voice is so far from everything he’s seen of the man it catches Kyungsoo off guard. Baekhyun doesn’t seem to want to joke about this. If anything, he is adamant, holding Kyungsoo’s eyes to make him understand.

He won’t touch him further than this. Not if Kyungsoo doesn’t want him to.

He nods ever so slightly, signaling he understands. Baekhyun breaks the eye contact and he is suddenly back to his normal self. “Besides,” he adds “I have specific orders not to touch you.”

He walks to the door and opens it, his eyes coming to roam over Kyungsoo’s frame one last time.

“What a shame.”

And then he is gone.

Kyungsoo takes his time to get ready, enjoying the hot shower and the soft fabrics of his clothes. All things he has been denied of for so long.

It seems there are hidden depths to all brothers. Not only madness behind the beauty but also pain, endless pain they can never hide. Perhaps they never try.

He didn’t think he would ever compare fallen angels to humans, but he does. He feels it deep in his bones, how, for all their glory, they are very similar to the creatures they so despise. How they give in to their darkest desires the way only humans do.

He understands. He has lived most of his life in darkness, surrounded by the free roars of untamed desires. Humans left unchecked know no boundaries. He learned that in both the free and incarcerated world.

The only constant is pain, ever present, everlasting. It fuels emotions better than any other sensation. Love even is subject to pain. They have built entire societies to avoid it as much as possible, and still it finds its way in their hearts, wreaks havoc in even the most controlled environments.

Perhaps the brothers were right to start from pain. Perhaps they survived so long because they chose to embrace it instead of running from it. Kyungsoo cannot be sure. He hasn’t been here long enough.

Once he is ready, dressed as he was the night before, he is directed towards Jongin’s office. It is at the very top of the building, set in front of the ash desert. There is a clock there, indicating it is eleven am and Kyungsoo looks out the window, noticing how the light hasn’t changed, how it still feels like it’s the middle of the night.

Jongin is wearing a black suit, hair slicked back messily, eyeliner gone, rings still on his fingers. His hair hasn’t changed color and Kyungsoo is almost disappointed. Almost, because the man looks like a living fantasy, whatever the hair color.

He is gazing out the window, drinking some fancy looking liquor. He turns fully once they are alone and smiles, leaving the glass on the desk to come stand next to him.

“Good morning, Do Kyungsoo.”

It feels weird, having his name pronounced this way every time he is addressed. It is going to be a living nightmare if he has to hear it every day.

He waves his hand in the hair. “Drop the Do. I was only trying to fuck with you but now it’s annoying me.”

He is incredibly more relaxed around Jongin. It shouldn’t be. He is the Devil after all. But then again he hasn’t given any reason for Kyungsoo to fear him yet.

Jongin chuckles and he nods. “Fine. As you wish. Here are your things. I took the liberty of retrieving them for you.”

To say he is surprised is an understatement. He is shocked. The man actually took the time to get these futile things for him.

Except they’re anything but futile. There’s the picture of his mother and sister, the last drawing she made for him and his mother’s gold necklace.

“Thank you,” he quietly says and Jongin waves it off, rubbing his hand while walking towards the far-left corner of the room, trafficking something on the wall before calling him.

“Kyungsoo, come here.”

He shoves the precious remnants of his past in his pocket and walks over to Jongin. He has opened a door, revealing a square room of equivalent proportions.

Only this room is lined up with weapons.

It goes from the simplest knife to the most sophisticated gun Kyungsoo has ever seen.

“Guns? I figured you were more of a swords’ guy,” he remarks sarcastically.

It’s a way to dedramatize. He swore he would never do this. Never kill again. And here he is, standing with the Devil himself, gazing upon a room full of every existing death instrument.

Jongin raises a brow. “We are not savages, Kyungsoo. I find guns much easier to manipulate than swords. They are more Sehun’s thing.”

It’s Kyungsoo’s turn to raise a brow. “Why am I not surprised?”

He walks in the room, letting his eyes roam over all weapons. They are all beautiful in the same dangerous way. Much similar to their owner.

“Pick one,” Jongin suddenly says.

It’s useless. Kyungsoo knew he was here for this. You don’t show a killer a knife if you don’t intend to give it to him.

The steal is of outstanding quality, cold under his fingers. He lets them pick, just like he’s always done.

He selects a pair of butterfly knifes and a colt 1911 with a beautifully carved wooden handle.

He expects a corny _excellent choice_ but Jongin doesn’t say anything, just waits silently.

They exit the room and he is presented with a shoulder holster by a woman in a black suit. She doesn’t say anything either, just lets him pick. Then he is handed a jacket matching his trousers.

He wears both and finds them fitting perfectly. Jongin provides an explanation.

“I had them made while you were asleep.” It’s as simple as that. What the Devil wants, the Devil gets.

He is finally given a pair of black gloves and Kyungsoo accepts them reluctantly. He looks like a hired gun now, which he imagines he kind of is.

He can’t complain, he chose this.

“Shall we,” Jongin invites him to take the lead and they climb down the stairs to reach the foyer. Here is offered yet another jacket, a long black woolen coat of a perfect fit and a black scarf. Jongin does not bother with either. Kyungsoo doubts he is the type to catch a cold.

He expects them to take the car but no. Instead they step into a service elevator. The gates are closed for them before they start descending instead of climbing. The drop is fast, vertiginous even though he cannot see the void under their feet. His stomach flips and he grips the metal handle tightly.

It lasts three seconds before the elevator stops and the doors open.

Sun hits his eyes violently. They have seen only darkness in the past 24 hours. It feels weird to welcome the light back again.

It is snowing, the road already completely covered with thick powder. The trees are devoid of any leaves, trunks sunk deep in the white ocean. The sun shines brightly over it all, covered only by the continuous stream of frozen rain.

It is beautiful, so beautiful Kyungsoo stares. He also comes to understand the utility of the coat and scarf.

The elevator disappears back underground, swallowed by the earth that closes back on itself. There is complete silence for a long minute before Kyungsoo asks the obvious question. “Where are we?”

“The Alpes in France.”

France. Kyungsoo has never been to France. In fact, he has never left Korea.

“What are we doing here?”

He dreads the answer, especially when Jongin’s eyes turn to him, gleaming in that strange twisted way. He is excited, Kyungsoo can see it as clearly as if it was written on his face.

“I need you to do a little something for me,” His voice is a soothing balm, caressing, luring its prey into a false sense of security.

“You see, Heaven has been causing trouble for me lately. They’ve sent emissaries to kill my demons, cutting me out of countless little deals. I need you to take care of them for me.”

Kyungsoo watches him silently. How the snow falls in his hair, how the collar of his shirt shakes lightly with the wind, how his hands hang from his pockets as nonchalantly as the first time they met. He’s asking him to kill as if it was nothing, as if it was only routine.

Emissaries. From Heaven.

“And if I don’t?” he asks.

Jongin smiles, a simple curve of his lips. “Then I guess there is still an empty cell waiting for you back in Korea.”

He pauses, lets it sink in before he continues. “You have to understand, Kyungsoo. You did not sign a contract with me. I would keep you as one of my demons if you wish but that is not something I can impose on you. Only you can make that decision.”

He can do this, kill for him, or he can sign a contract and remain amongst Jongin’s creatures for the rest of his life. Running errands, enjoying the pleasures of Hell. An eternity of servitude. The Devil’s bitch forever.

Either way he is not going back to that cell.

“No,” he hears himself say. “I’ll do it.”

Jongin smiles brighter, perfect teeth shining as white as the snow.

“There’s one condition,” he adds before it’s too late. He has to do this now, while he still has the nerve and before the situation gets out of hand.

Jongin doesn’t lose his smile, just tilts his head and waits. Kyungsoo looks away, into the empty horizon. “I want to know everything. You keep nothing from me. About those… emissaries, about your brothers, about Hell as a whole.”

He turns his eyes back towards the other man, piercing Jongin’s soul in return, plying him under his will.

It’s as risky as everything he’s said to him. But he needs to know who he is fighting for, what his plans are, why he’s pushing Kyungsoo into doing this. He doesn’t want to be a puppet, a dog at the end of a leash, even a particularly long one. He wants to go into this as his own person.

And if he has to kill, so be it, but he will know why.

Jongin has stopped breathing. Kyungsoo doubts he even needs to. He is watching him, eyes brighter than usual, burning him to the core.

And then he does something he’s never done before. He comes closer, his sent invading Kyungsoo’s nostrils. He smells _addictive_. A power of its own, an irresistible attraction. The smell is nothing however, compared to his touch.

The moment his fingers meet Kyungsoo’s cheek, he feels his whole body come alive.

It is as if he was dead before this, as if he never felt, never has felt, never will feel again. It is bright and dark, pulling him into a storm of devastating intensity, ravaging his insides with a violence, devouring his every impulse of life until his lungs are scorching fire and his blood is boiling lava.

His mind however, he doesn’t touch. But it seems so insignificant under the beating pulse of want coursing his body. Under the _desire_.

“You’ve got yourself a deal, Do Kyungsoo.” And then he kisses him.

It’s a simple touch of his lips, a simple grazing of his teeth, a simple caress of his nose. But it’s _everything_ and Kyungsoo wants more, so much more than this.

But he’s uncapable to move, uncapable to breathe, uncapable to think. All that is left of him is fire and it is running so wild Kyungsoo doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to stop it.

He closes his eyes and just as quickly as it came, the feeling is gone, leaving an emptiness so dark and so deep, an ache so profound he wants to scream.

So, this is what it feels like to sell your soul to the Devil.

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

He doesn’t know who he’s supposed to kill. Jongin is gone and he hasn’t given him a name, but Kyungsoo thinks he might not need one.

His body feels weird. It is as if his senses have been enhanced. He hears every single animal, sees further than he’s ever seen, smells the frozen water of the white snowflakes, feels them fall in his hair, can practically taste them on his tongue. He didn’t know snow had a taste or smell.

He walks for an hour, following the road. There isn’t any car, any passerby. It is a beautiful wasteland. A whole forgotten world.

He feels the sudden change in the air when it happens. The balance stirs as darkness recoils, pushed away by a beacon of light, so bright it burns everything it touches.

It kind of reminds him of someone.

There’s a part of him that wants to go to the light, drown in it. But there’s another half, a half he’s always felt there, a half that has grown significantly now, surely lodged in his heart, that wants to hide and shy away from the light. He can almost feel it curling its teeth in distaste.

There’s a presence on the road before him. She is wearing a white coat, almost drowning back in the background except for the unmistakable shine about her, the beauty drawing him ever closer.

He would lose himself to her brightness if it wasn’t for the darkness.

He makes a turn for the forest, going off track and walking towards the empty mass of white land. She follows him, he can feel it. Drawing him back, tempting him to stop and just look. Take in her purity. Her goodness.

He stops when he deems they’re far enough from the road. He lets her catch up to him, his back still turned to her.

“You are still human,” Her voice is crystal clear, the wind leaving her words alone, letting them pass freely without interruption. They reach Kyungsoo’s ears and he is tempted to laugh for the first time in a very long time.

“I’m not sure I ever was,” Kyungsoo answers, bitterness lacing his words. The wind does not respectfully part for his speech but he knows she hears it nonetheless, the force of his resolve, strength where she probably expected defeat.

Kyungsoo does not lie. He is not going to lie to this woman, may she be here to kill him or not.

Because he understands now why Jongin didn’t give him a name, a face.

He is the one the woman is tracking. He is the name and the face she is looking for.

Except she’s wrong to assume he’s fully human. She’s wrong to assume he’s fully demon.

He is half of each, the sides no longer fighting, the parts finally at peace with each other. The answer he sought in the empty walls of his cell, he found in the wildfire of a kiss.

Kyungsoo belongs to no other than himself. He has no equivalent in this world. He is light, he is darkness, he is both.

He finally turns around and she smiles. The human part of him wants to smile back but the darkness, the darkness _sees_. It understands why the smile is here.

It seems lies and deception are not reserved to hellish creatures.

“Of course, you were. You still are. I can help you see clearly.”

He smiles bitterly. “I can see just fine on my own, lady.”

He draws his hand quicker than he’s ever drawn. The speed is not his speed. It’s a speed that belongs to his dark side. A speed Jongin has gifted him, just like the rest of his new abilities.

A gift… Well, more of a curse.

The woman avoids the bullet with ease, a simple twist of her body. She watches him with sad eyes. Kyungsoo can barely stand the regret and judgement he sees there. “You signed,” she simply says.

“Will you shut the fuck up?” He’s had enough of this.

He surges towards her at the same time she does, their bodies meeting in a powerful dance, very different from the usual mess of limbs that comes with fighting. Here, killing is an art.

He hits her in the neck with a scary precision, cutting off her oxygen as she throws her foot in his groin. He doubles over, taking the opportunity to grab the knife strapped to his ankle, working it open until the traitorous blade shines under the white sun.

He strikes with power, the knife finding the gap between two of her ribs, a splash of red roaring to life, soaking her white coat.

She stumbles back, drawing her own gun, pushing the trigger. Kyungsoo barely has time to escape, the bullet grazing his left arm as he rolls away. He gets back on his feet as quickly and lets the knife twist in his hand until it sits on the edge of his fingers. With a flick of the wrist, he throws as she fires.

The bullet meets the knife in the middle, steel sinking into metal, cutting in half in a painfully slow motion, drawing her eyes to the impossible action.

It takes only a small distraction, that’s what he’s learned over the years. It demanded training, demanded discipline, killing seven men. Some were trained as well. Some almost killed him. He barely escaped with his life with some of those kills. It has taught him the value of each action, the price of inattention, the cost of failure.

But failure has always been the best teacher and Do Kyungsoo has learned. He has the scars to show for it.

The gun in his left hand fires, as surely and steadily as his knife. The bullet finds her head, red splashing suddenly on her blond hair. Her eyes open, realizing what has happened. She falls slowly, comically almost. The snow plies under her weight, a perfectly fitted coffin around her limp body.

Red spreads through the flaxes as she dies. Kyungsoo watches until he is sure, until he can no longer see the flicker of life in her eyes.

It gives him no pleasure, but it gives him no pain.

He collects his weapons and searches her. It is useless. She has nothing on her.

There is another shift in the balance and the light that was her presence is suddenly gone, replaced by darkness, compelled to fill the void. It explains the ridiculous assumption places where people have been killed are haunted. There is the echo of her presence, a light the darkness can never completely overcome.

He feels the weight of her soul leaving, settling in his pocket. He frowns, palping his side until he reaches it. Inside his coat is a stone of a tarnished red color, a chocolate opaque shining softly, discreetly in Kyungsoo’s hand. And inside, inside is her brightness.

Inside is her soul. Trapped.

The weight of what he is settles deep in his bones. The weight of his choice.

There is no going back now.


	5. Chapter 5

“You’re what’s called a Soul Breaker, darling” Baekhyun coos, his fingers twitching with the need to touch. He wants to comb through Kyungsoo’s short hair, which is physically impossible, seeing how he doesn’t have enough. But Baekhyun never was a rational being. He aches for impossible things, which is what makes him so interesting.

Jongin smiles, delight coursing through his veins. Immense satisfaction.

Kyungsoo has performed above all hopes. He came back with barely a scratch on his first fight.

Jongin has never had anyone come back with barely a scratch on their first fight.

The house doctor is patching him silently, her hands skillfully stitching back the skin together while Kyungsoo sits on the bed of his room. He is in pain, Jongin can tell, but he barely moves. His posture tells him more than he wants to know.

He’s endured this more times than one. He’s used to it.

His mind is beautifully raging with questions and guilt. It is stirring underneath the surface like a fire kept hidden. But Jongin can see his hesitation, the realization of what he has become.

People usually resign after their first kill, coming to term with their fate. Not Do Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo questions his every move, his every decision, playing the moment over and over again in his head. He lays it all bear to Jongin’s eyes without knowing. He can see how easily he has accustomed to his newly acquired powers, how perfectly he moves, how decisive his every action is.

Jongin leaves his mind alone, enjoying the moment himself.

He has found his Soul Breaker at last, he is sure of it.

“What does that mean?” Kyungsoo asks Baekhyun.

His brother is roaming around the smaller man aimlessly. Jongin can feel the annoyance emanating from Kyungsoo, praying wordlessly to be left alone. But as usual, Baekhyun is oblivious to the message.

He senses something else as well, something that surprises him. Catches him off guard. Kyungsoo, however annoyed, is finding comfort in his brother’s presence, in the constant background noise of his babbling and the touches he tries to steal from the Soul Breaker without success.

Something has happened between them, something that has settled their relationship.

It makes Jongin’s eyes flare, a spark neither of them spot. It’s fleeting but it’s there.

If Baekhyun has defied his order…

But no, he hasn’t. If he had, Kyungsoo would have been unable to resist. A simple human cannot resist a fallen angel. A Soul Breaker might but not for long.

Once again, if Baekhyun wanted to claim him, Do Kyungsoo would be claimed. No resistance possible.

Jongin settles back then, reassured. He watches as Baekhyun explains Kyungsoo’s role, the meaning of his name.

“You break the souls that belong to Heaven from their connection to the light. They have nowhere to go and they are still too pure to be swallowed by the darkness so they find their place into this.” He takes the stone Jongin had placed inside Kyungsoo’s coat in his delicate fingers and makes it gleam softly to the light. “It’s unique, the only one to ever exist.”

Kyungsoo remains quiet, watching the stone sternly. His mind is stilling slowly, beginning to grasp what he is, what he has to do.

“It changes color with every owner. I have never seen it take this particular shade,” Baekhyun adds. He leaves the stone in Kyungsoo’s hand, the back of his fingers brushing Kyungsoo’s in a far from innocent manner.

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes at Baekhyun, understanding his intent clearly. He watches the stone with interested eyes, turns it around in his hand.

The stone is slightly bigger than a marble, raw and uncut in all its edges. It is natural, beautiful in an untamed way.

It fits the man it belongs to perfectly.

Baekhyun watches Kyungsoo with mischievous eyes and he leans in ever slightly, a little too close for Jongin’s liking.

“It has the color of your eyes.”

He is right. Said eyes fly to Jongin’s with a raised brow. He wishes to be rid of the nuisance now, he’s had enough.

“Baekhyun, leave us please.”

Baekhyun’s eyes gleam, meaning he’s up to no good and he nods, taking with him the doctor who is done with the bandage on Kyungsoo’s arm.

The moment the door closes, Kyungsoo’s accusatory gaze falls on him. “I thought I was clear. You were supposed to tell me everything.”

Jongin smiles and gets up, coming to stand before the Soul Breaker, towering his smaller frame.

Do Kyungsoo has a powerful edge to his mind and body. He feels it in the defined and yet discreet muscles of his bare chest cut with scars and burns of all kinds, in the strength of his arms and the harshness of his eyes. He cannot toy with that man. Cannot lie.

“Yes, you were. But we made the deal after I put the stone in your pocket. The deal starts when the deal is sealed. It is not retroactive.”

Kyungsoo is very unamused and very adamant on being answered. “Cut the shit, Jongin.”

The impertinence, it makes Jongin’s blood soar. His name pronounced so carelessly. Some have died and suffered for far less. But somehow, he lets it all slide because he has missed the challenge this man is offering him.

“No Kim?” he pushes and Kyungsoo frowns. “You dropped the Do, I can drop the Kim.”

“That wasn’t in the deal.”

There is that delicious shiver of anger, the fear nowhere to be found, only stormy chocolate brown eyes.

“Do you want another kiss, is that it?” Kyungsoo asks sternly.

He’s laughing at him and it has Jongin laughing along. He lets his eyes take in all of Kyungsoo. “Maybe I do.”

There is light there, a light he will never be able to fully stifle. But it does not matter because Jongin enjoys this, enjoys the constant conflict and the little threat sitting so close to him.

He leaves Kyungsoo alone at last, but not before he’s seen the storm in his eyes, the memory of their kiss so very alive in his pupils.

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Kyungsoo meets Jongdae and Minseok in the most unexpected way.

He’s arguing with Sehun over his dinner outfit, the taller running into him in the corridors and sneering at his simple attire. Dark blue pants and a white shirt. He deems it tasteless and forces a jacket on Kyungsoo, going as far as to intrude in his room to show him how many colors he could have matched, how much more glorious he could have looked.

Kyungsoo doesn’t want to look Glorious. He wants to look like himself.

Either way it doesn’t seem to register with Sehun. He forces a leather jacket on his shoulders, even with the Soul Breaker arguing it is completely ridiculous to wear this for dinner. Inside.

They are on their way downstairs when he sees them and he almost trips on the last step of the stairs.

They are as beautiful as their brothers, the aura unmistakable and yet so completely different.

Jongdae has dark hair, milky white skin, perfect lean eyes and full pink lips, thick brows. He is handsome, so handsome it sparks something inside Kyungsoo he’s never felt before.

Envy.

Minseok is completely different. Smaller, with a body more muscular than the rest of them, a face fuller. Sharp jaw, round cheeks, round eyes, tall forehead and hair beautiful, black and gleaming, curls falling on his face with taste. He looks like… he looks like sex on legs, Kyungsoo has no other words. He literally wants to devour him.

He has come to understand each brother embodies a sin, more than one of course, but a specific trait more clearly than others.

If Jongdae is envy, then Minseok is gluttony.

They form quite the pair, even more so when they are standing beside each other, Jongdae’s hand resting possessively around Minseok’s hips.

They raise their heads to watch him enter their space, Minseok’s brows climbing up his forehead and Jongdae’s gaze dropping several degrees.

Sehun introduces him before he has time to say anything.

“This is Jongin’s new pet, Do Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo hits Sehun on the arm, leaving all restrain behind. He is a little wary of his reaction but the tall blond ignores him royally to go sit down instead.

Kyungsoo turns towards the two new men, wondering how he is going to right the situation when Minseok remarks “You must be a little more than a pet if he lets you hit him like that.”

And then he smiles, genuine humor on his features.

Kyungsoo stares, he cannot help but. That is until Jongdae comes to block his field of vision, looking a little threatening. Well, more than a little.

“Honey, you don’t want to murder him,” Baekhyun interrupts, coming to rest an arm over Kyungsoo’s shoulder, dropping his head on top as if he is used to doing so. “He’s Jongin’s Soul Breaker.”

Jongdae’s eyes change, lightning toning down until there is something different in them. Something akin to respect.

He moves away then and Minseok pats Kyungsoo’s arm in sympathy. “Don’t mind him,” he says. “He’s quite the jealous type”.

And then he winks.

Kyungsoo has his mouth hanging open as he watches him come take a seat next to Jongdae. He has a great ass, Kyungsoo cannot deny that.

“How come you never look at me like that?” Baekhyun asks and Kyungsoo can hear the pout in his voice.

“Because you’re annoying,” Kyungsoo answers and he pushes Baekhyun off him to go sit with the others in the chair he used the night before.

“Now, that’s just mean,” he hears Baekhyun comment to his drink and he can’t help but let a small smile play on his lips.

Jongin is quick to join. He’s wearing red this evening and it is definitely his color.

Minseok and Jongdae start reporting on whatever mission they were entrusted with and Kyungsoo listens, curious.

They’re about to mention something when they stop, both turning towards Kyungsoo.

Jongin waves it off, dismissive as ever. “It’s fine. He can be made aware. I made a deal with him.”

Their eyes meet and sparks fly. The blood red is crackling, dancing beautifully with the memory of the afternoon. Kyungsoo hopes he can see the storm of anger raging behind his own eyes.

He’s not his toy. He never will be. Devil or not, he will have to learn.

“All right,” Jongdae cuts through, breaking the stare. He leans back against Minseok, his fingers coming to rest on his thigh lightly.

“The sword is in a cave, buried deep underground. A cenote in Mexico. It’s not guarded but that’s just Heaven for you. Smug sons of bitches.”

He is surprised to hear him swear. He is quite different from the others, more human in a way. Dangerous in his anger and beauty, but earthly in his attitude and words.

“You have to excuse Jongdae,” Jongin interrupts, amusement clear in his eyes upon seeing Kyungsoo’s reaction. “He’s spent a long time trapped above ground. A little trick from our heavenly brothers.”

The twist in Jongin’s words is noticeable. It is nothing however, in comparison to Jongdae’s eyes, a darkness of no equivalent spreading at fearful speed until Minseok’s hand squeezes his thigh lightly, calling him back to the present.

Envy stifles Kyungsoo’s heart yet again, surer this time, clouding his vision. Jongdae’s effect is terrifying. Amongst the brothers, he feels like the most powerful, perhaps only second to Jongin’s constant presence.

He learns through Minseok of their plan to steal the archangel’s sword, the very same sword that defeated Jongin in their fall. The angels have hidden it on Earth, thinking they would never find it. It took some time, but they have now. The only problem that remains is how to extract it from said cave.

“It’s warded,” Baekhyun explains from his perch. He is seated on the arm of Jongin’s chair, one hand resting on the back around the taller man, his legs folded, revealing a prominent ass.

Kyungsoo suspects he’s done this on purpose due to his previous remark.  

“Can’t Jongin retrieve it? Surely he's powerful enough.”

There is an uncomfortable silence and Kyungsoo just knows he’s crossed a line when Jongin’s eyes turn to Baekhyun. Baekhyun’s expression softens, a sad smile coming to his lips. The hand resting on the back of the chair finds Jongin’s hair and he brushes it back affectionately. Jongin closes his eyes and leans back into Baekhyun’s touch.

It’s something Kyungsoo hasn’t been able to witness yet, Jongin letting go. He is far from the image of the Devil like this. He looks like an incredibly lost man.

He is even more surprised when Sehun answers, his eyes trained on Jongin, quiet turmoil directed at something else, someone not present in this room.

“Our brother made sure Jongin would never be able to approach the sword. It burns him whenever he does.”

For all Sehun’s pride, Kyungsoo learns it is no match to his protectiveness. He looks about ready to slash through the entire world if it would mean his brother stopped hurting.

There is beauty behind the madness after all.

Baekhyun’s hand stops in Jongin’s hair and he squeezes lightly before letting it rest against the back of the chair again.

Jongin opens his eyes and the red finds Kyungsoo, pain rawer than anything he has ever seen.

“I’m sorry” he apologizes quietly.

He doesn’t know what else to say until Jongdae’s hand finds his own. A little smile comes to light his features, making his eyes crinkle.

It is so unexpected, so completely different from his earlier attitude. His voice even is humorous when he speaks. “Easy on the assumptions, Soul Breaker.”

He nods curtly and Jongdae’s hand leaves his before he leans back against Minseok. The smaller is watching Jondgae with so much feeling it tugs at Kyungsoo’s heart.

Just what exactly has he stumbled into?

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Their dysfunctional family doesn’t seem to be the thing disturbing Kyungsoo. If anything, he’s surprised at every turn of event.

No, what disturbs the quiet peace of his mind is Sehun’s confession.

Jongin cannot prevent his brother from speaking the harsh truth.

The memory of the wound is still here, just like the scary scar it has left. It covers all of Jongin’s back in a nasty burn, the skin rippling horribly around the edges, black and swollen where the sword has struck.

He tried to kill him. His own brother. His friend. Someone he trusted so implicitly.

Baekhyun’s little squeeze brings him back to the present and Jongin open his eyes to meet Kyungsoo’s. There is something there he’s never felt in any other eyes than those of his brothers’.

Compassion.

It is quiet, muted, but it’s unmistakably there.

It runs on Jongin’s skin like a balm, making him forget about the scar, about the pain he had to go through to find the sword.

It was all worth it, the pain and the trials, if only to see his vengeance exacted upon Heaven. His anger knows no limits, no boundaries, they will learn.

After all, Jongin fell for it.

Kyungsoo is quiet for the rest of dinner, his head still very much preoccupied with Sehun’s words.

Jongin lets it distract him, pull him alongside Kyungsoo to navigate the quiet waters of his mind. It is soothing, perhaps even more so than Baekhyun’s touch.

He is already so loyal to the Devil himself, loyal to undying darkness.

His Do Kyungsoo. His Soul Breaker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, actual touching (i know what even is that we didn't see any yet?!?!) is coming. I love you all and thank you for the kudos and comments (Leena_K <3)!!!


	6. Chapter 6

PART 2

Light

 

The next three weeks happen in a similar fashion, but so far from reality Kyungsoo can never call it routine.

Every morning he wakes up to a tray of fresh breakfast and an envelope. The envelope contains a location: New York, United-States. Beijing, China. Marrakech, Morocco. Dublin, Ireland.

Every day he dresses, preferring a white shirt and black pants. He has a new pair of boots he’s requested, rangers easier to fight in than the preppy leather shoes. He wears his black gloves, his coat, his scarf when needed.

He takes the elevator to the place he needs to be, walks the land until the emissaries find him.

They all try to bring him back to their side, to make him see how dark and twisted his decision is. He is killing messengers of faith. Messengers of God. How can he remain so impervious to the wrong in this?

He despises their contempt and their judgement. Deep down, he knows there is a part of truth in their words. But he ignores it.

They weren’t there when his family was killed. They weren’t there when he avenged them. They weren’t there when he was condemned to spend his life in a prison cell. When he was told his life would be shorter than it was supposed to be.

He was alone for this, darkness his only companion. If he needs to choose, he’ll always choose darkness. He’ll always chose himself.

The kills are not always clean. Some take time, necessitate tracking, hunting. Some emissaries are stronger than others, more ancient.

They are not stronger than Kyungsoo however. He always makes it back, sometimes wounded, sometimes untouched.

The evenings are a whole other story.

He spends them with the brothers when he’s not forced to stay on the ground hunting. They dine and talk, about useless things, about sins and pleasures, about their plan to breach the cave and steal the sword.

To destroy Heaven.

Kyungsoo does not know what to think about this. He does not know if he is comfortable with the idea of light disappearing completely.

There are things after all that he still values, things only light can bring. Love. Friendship. Trust. Kindness.

He knows there are rare, but he also knows they exist.

He also understands the importance of revenge, better than anyone else. The price to pay is always terrible, and he’s afraid the price of the Devil’s revenge is humanity.

Jongin hasn’t asked anything more of him. Not yet. But he knows he expects more. He’s easing Kyungsoo into it, getting him acquainted with his abilities, with his responsibilities.

Minseok has explained how, the stronger Kyungsoo gets, the stronger he makes Jongin. What they’ve formed is an unbreakable bond. The stronger the bond, the stronger their powers.

He also explains how Kyungsoo is not Jongin’s first Soul Breaker, how every single one has given in to darkness, renounced their humanity after the horrors they had to commit.

He doesn’t say horrors. But Kyungsoo might as well call them by their name.

He takes a liking to the man. Unlike his brothers, Minseok remains steady in his emotions. This does not mean he is calm, but subsequently more constant then the others.

The others are a living nightmare.

Jongdae is a mess of a man. He jumps from the brightest sun to the most dangerous storm. One day he’ll communicate and accept Kyungsoo as one of their own, another he’ll barely look at him or say a word. Sehun is as unbearable as he’s always been, the man so full of himself it makes Kyungsoo’s blood boil with the irrepressible envy to slap him. Baekhyun is all over the place. He is loud, disturbing, annoying, invading Kyungsoo’s personal space whenever he has the occasion, pushing him to the furthest corner of his mind, forcing him to focus on something, anything but his endless rambling. They are not the only thing Kyungsoo needs to keep out of his mind. There are also the sounds of his sexual partners Kyugnsoo can sometimes hear. He is afraid to even think about it because it’s not only annoying, it’s arousing.

He hasn’t had sex in _years._ The amount of time he was in prison.

The fact that he is now surrounded with impossibly attractive men does _nothing_ for him.

Jongin does _nothing_ for him.

He is as he’s always been, the dark beautiful presence of power. The sparkling red eyes. The fucking black suits.

Kyungsoo has done what he can to deny it, but it’s hard. Harder than he ever imagined.

The Devil is tempting him.

It’s in the sway of his hips, the curve of his smile, the flex of his arms, the strength of his shoulders, the width of his tights.

Kyungsoo sometimes has to blink several times to get out of it. To snap back to reality. He sees why other Soul Breakers have offered themselves completely to the Devil.

He is so distracted he loses his mother’s necklace. He would very much like to believe it’s still in his room but after searching countless and countless of times, he has to conclude he won’t ever find it.

It tugs at his heart. The last remnant of his previous life wasn’t much, but it was home. It was his.

It seems everything is pushing him further into this new world, making him forget his humanity.

But he won’t give in so easily. Remnants or not, he is still who he is and there is no one who will be able to take that from him.

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

“Baekhyun found it in his room.”

Sehun is standing before Jongin, holding the piece of jewelry Kyungsoo has been searching for everywhere.

He knew one of his brothers had to have it in his possession. If it was anywhere in the castle, he would have found it first.

“You mean he stole it,” Jongin comments, retrieving the thin golden chain.

Sehun tilts his heard non-committedly and Jongin doesn’t need to question him. He already knows he did.

“Why?” Jongin asks. His brother does not really need a reason. He can take the necklace if it pleases him. There is nothing in this mansion he would deny Baekhyun, any of his brothers as a matter of fact.

Well except the Soul Breaker. And this piece of jewelry is his.

“I don’t know,” Sehun sights. “Maybe he planned on using it as leverage against your pet. Who knows…”

He hasn’t dropped the nickname, no matter how many times Jongin has asked. Sehun is not one to be ordered around. Very much like Baekhyun, he wants to do something, he does it.

He is running his fingers along the wooden desk, an elegant gesture typical of Sehun. Jongin was always a little jealous of his ability to move so perfectly. Out of all of them, he’s undeniably the most agile.

Which is why he orders the next thing, knowing very well how his brother will react.

“I need you to train him.”

Sehun’s eyes snap back up and he sneers, dark humor lacing his words. “Who? The pet or Baekhyun?”

Jongin chuckles, appreciative of the agility of his brother’s mind. Like he said, Sehun is a skillful master in anything and everything.

“Kyungsoo,” Jongin finally answers and the humor immediately disappears from his brother’s eyes. The darkness surges coming to assault Jongin’s own blood-soaked irises.

They stare at each other for long minutes, a silent battle of will.

Sehun finally caves in, displeased. “He won’t last a week.”

“He will. He has to.”

Sehun turns his dark eyes towards his. “Why don’t you train him yourself?”

Jongin lets his eyes roam over his brother’s frame, sadness coming to his eyes. “I need to take care of Jongdae.”

The displeasure in suddenly gone, warmth and concern burning behind Sehun’s black pupils.

“He stayed on the ground for too long,” Jongin quietly adds.

Angels had trapped Jongdae on Earth for fifty years, cloaking him from his brothers, locked him up behind the same invisible barrier that was holding the sword.

None of them had ever stayed above ground for that long without coming back. They didn’t know how long it would take for Jongdae’s darkness to dissolve entirely and die, leaving the empty shell of their brother behind.

The fear that had fallen upon their home had been so definite, so terrible that Jongin had done the irreparable, the unspeakable to get his brother back.

He’d unleashed War upon Humanity, one of his most trusted nights. He’d destroyed humans, slaughtered his father’s precious creations in the hope angels would give Jongdae back to them.

And they had. In 1945 precisely. Jongin had called War back. But he could not control the other power that had unleashed upon Earth.

Minseok had been furious beyond anything Jongin had ever seen. His wrath almost matched the Devil’s and he had turned it towards humanity in the manifestation of his despair, his agony for the disappearance of his partner.

Minseok had freed gluttony, he had freed greed.

Heaven had taken his everything, and he would take their everything in return. If he had fallen for his sins, humanity would fall as well.

Once freed, sins can never be caged again. They take root in human hearts and not even the highest and mightiest of archangel can change anything about that.

Heaven had taken Jongdae from Minseok. Minseok had taken faith from Heaven.

It had perhaps been the most beautifully terrifying thing Jongin had ever seen. Humans started to deny the existence of their God. Darkness had spread consequently.

They still believed in evil, but they no longer believed in goodness.

It had weakened Heaven more than War ever did.

Sehun is quiet now, reminiscing on their past, as lost as Jongin in their memories. They had all suffered during this time, in more ways than one. A part of them remains angel, and that part is still affected by humans. Lust disappeared and was replaced by violence and abuse. Pride by disgust and shame. Anger by sadness and defeat.

Jongin shudders and his mind comes back to the present, to the matter at hand. Sehun seems to sense the change of atmosphere and he nods, understanding. He gets up and prepares to exit when Jongin interrupts him with a smile.

Enough brooding, he thinks. Time for a little fun.

“Break him,” he demands and Sehun returns his smile, darkness surging in his clouded black eyes.

“As if I would do any less.”


	7. Chapter 7

Kyungsoo opens his eyes to find Sehun watching him from the couch, his long legs crossed in a neatly fashion, his hands holding an old book he snaps closed dryly.

“Ah, good. You’re awake.”

Apparently, the concept of boundaries is completely foreign to the brothers.

Kyungsoo cannot help but stare at Sehun. He is elegant before all things. Before his pride. Before his contempt. Before his distance.

“Get up, pet. We have things to do.”

Before Kyungsoo has time to ask what, he is out of the room.

Kyungsoo takes his time getting ready, if anything to piss the tall blond off. When he finally comes down, Sehun is standing there, dressed completely differently than he usually is.

Gone are the extravagant suits, silky shirts closed completely, cuffed by silver and gold. Instead he wears blue satin so loose it hangs low on his chest, leaving the top half exposed.

Sehun has tattoos. They are of different colors, beautifully underlying every line of his toned muscular chest. They are drawings of a place Kyungsoo has never seen. It seems directly out of a madman’s imagination. A tropical forest filled with birds of all color and sizes, animals he is sure do not exist.

Along his arms are black words written in a strange language. They stop where his hands begin, explaining why Kyungsoo has never caught sight of them. Sehun’s hands are covered by black gloves but he knows there are no tattoos there.

The blue silk shirt leaves very little to imagination, opened wide like this and it has Kyungsoo gulping audibly. Whatever they’re supposed to do, he’s not going to be able to focus.

A man is presenting a platter to Sehun where two swords are laying still in their sheath.

He takes one and examines it thoroughly. The handle is golden chrome, a red string tied to the top. He unsheathes and the blade glints to the light.

It’s black.

Kyungsoo is ignored completely until Sehun has checked thoroughly the two instruments of death, wielding them with outmost care.

It’s the first time Kyungsoo has seen Sehun show any kind of respect, except perhaps to Jongin. And it’s to a sword, not to another living, breathing being.

He finally leaves one sword and the second sheath on the platter. He wields the sword still in his hands in the air, testing the resistance. Then his eyes turn to Kyungsoo and they close slightly, evaluating.

“Give him Durandal.”

The footman nods and Kyungsoo waits for him to be gone to angrily ask. “What the hell are we doing?”

“I’m training you,” Sehun answers dismissively. He reaches for a glass of whiskey placed beside him, drinking a sip before resuming his explanation. “Jongin is supposed to be the one to do it, but he’s unfortunately taken elsewhere which means the task befalls me.”

Kyungsoo narrows his eyes. He does not need training, especially not in sword fighting. What use is a sword when he has a gun.

Sehun moves to the far end of the large room, away from the couches and personnel. He stands tall, immobile, and his hand invites Kyungsoo to step into the empty space.

“Try to fire at me.”

Kyungsoo frowns, taking out his gun. He stands facing Sehun, his hand firm on the weapon. A bullet to the shoulder should shut him up, once and for all.

He waits for the right moment to fire, eyes fixed on his target.

He feels like a cowboy in those weird American movies.

Sehun’s eyes move to watch Kyungsoo’s fingers twitch and he doesn’t hesitate. He fires.

Sehun barely moves. His blade just cuts the air at the exact moment the bullet is about to reach his shoulder, cutting it in half. He hasn’t even blinked.

Kyungsoo fires again, at his head this time, and the bullet meets the same fate, Sehun twisting his wrist expertly, his feet never moving an inch.

Kyungsoo empties his charger, marching closer and closer and Sehun finally follows the blade, whirling around effortlessly to cut through every single projectile.

He is grace incarnate, the blade dancing around him like an extension of his own body.

Kyungsoo hadn’t noticed until now but he is barefoot.

When Kyungsoo lowers his gun, Sehun lowers his sword, his heard jerking to the side to indicate the footman coming Kyungsoo’s way. He’s carrying another platter, a different sword.

“You’re going to need more than your little gun if you plan on staying alive,” Sehun comments humorlessly.

Kyungsoo holsters said little gun and takes the sword in his hand. It’s heavy, but lighter than what he expected. The steel has been polished countless times, but the metal remains stern, tinted with darkness. He can feel it as he grasps the handle and unsheathes it.

There is a stream of words engraved in the blade, the same strange language he’s seen on all weapons here, the same one tattooed on Sehun’s arms.

“This is Durandal,” Sehun introduces. “Roland’s sword.”

Kyungsoo doesn’t know any Roland, doesn’t much care whose sword this was. He cares however, about the inscriptions. “What’s on it?” he asks.

“Enochian. The language of angels.”

Kyungsoo turns sharp eyes towards Sehun. “I thought you lot weren’t angels anymore.”

Sehun has a contemptuous laugh, surprisingly enough not towards him. “The sword isn’t ours.”

Kyungsoo whirls it around, testing the flexibility, just like he does with his knifes. “You stole it?”

Sehun laughs again, pleased with himself. “I did. I retrieved it from the knight’s gravestone. He wasn’t going to miss it where he was going.”

The sword fits perfectly in his hand, heavier than a knife but still maneuverable. The blade makes a frightening sound every time it cuts through the air, the metal ringing coldly to Kyungsoo’s ears and deep inside his bones.

“Each sword has a master,” Sehun starts to explain, stepping closer to him. “Swords are faithful, reliable, particularly this one. You will have to fight for dominance with its previous owner. Only when you have won will the sword truly belong to you and will you be able to wield it properly. Until then, try not to cut yourself.”

The mockery makes Kyungsoo cringe. Sehun is speaking such nonsense he doesn’t understand half of what he’s trying to say. Instead he focuses on what he can comprehend.

“What does it say?”

Sehun smiles, a twisted little smirk that would give any normal human being nightmares.

“Master of stone.”

The handle of Durandal weighs heavily in his hand. He can feel its power, the meaning of its name.

Sehun hasn’t given him just any sword. He has given him the sharpest, most dangerous sword in all of human’s history.

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Kyungsoo soon comes to understand why Sehun fights barely clothed.

The necessity of moving becomes evident as he slashes through air, repeating patterns and combinations endlessly. He feels like an idiot, muscles burning with the effort and the weight of the sword. However stupid the exercise is, it pays off.

In thirty days, Kyungsoo is able to withstand the weight without much effort.

The sword fights him on everything, the blade refusing to slash through air accordingly. It falls from his hands, blisters his palms, draws blood from the cuts he inadvertently makes on his arms and legs.

The patterns evolve, transforming into moves and strikes. Defense is as important as attack, Sehun repeats.

He takes pleasure in watching him suffer, Kyungsoo can tell. And so, he doesn’t let him know, doesn’t show how tired he is and how heavy his body feels after an entire day spent wielding the sword.

He stops hunting on Jongin’s orders, leaving the stone in his room safely hidden while he slashes through air again and again, every hour of every day in a difficult effort.

Whatever illusion of power the first three weeks gave him, it’s gone now. Long forgotten.

He loses count of days, trapped in the moonlight, in the perpetual darkness.

After an indecisive period, Sehun starts fighting him at the end of every lesson.

The first is a blessing, the frustration of weeks of training raging to the surface, unleashing on the other man in a barely controlled storm. But it does not last. Sehun is quick to defeat him and warn him against anger in a fight.

“Don’t get me wrong, anger is a powerful tool. But not when it is wielded without control by a complete idiot.”

He taunts him every day, finding his every weak spot mercilessly, baring Kyungsoo’s scars for every eye to see.

The brothers come to watch them fight sometimes, silent spectators, never daring to interrupt the sword master.

He has just finished yet another lesson, his arms aching, unable to defeat Sehun, unable to strike even one blow. He is washing his arms, scrubbing the blood consciously, his shirt thrown away carelessly. He wears black now to hide the red color tainting his skin.

There is a soft knock on the door and Kyungsoo calls the person in. Whoever it is, he doesn’t care. He’s past the point.

Baekhyun peaks his head through the open door, his red lined eyes immediately coming to rest on Kyungsoo. His hair is red orange today, no rings on his lips or ears, two silver chains resting on his chest. One is a key, the other simple meshes intertwined.

“May I?” he asks and Kyungsoo nods curtly.

He doesn’t trust his own voice. He’s too tired and strained to speak.

Baekhyun looks outside before closing the door, pushing the lock. Kyungsoo frowns, confused. Baekhyun walks to him, standing close, starring straight into his eyes. His hands take Kyungsoo’s and he gently pulls him towards the chair next to the sink. Kyungsoo lets him.

He takes one of the incredibly soft towels and damps it before coming to sit on the edge of the bathtub, facing him. He carefully runs the damp towel along Kyungsoo’s arms, on his shoulders, on his hands. His elegant fingers make quick, careful bandages around his wounds and Kyungsoo watches him silently, wondering what the hell he’s doing.

The other man seems to sense his hesitation and he smiles a soft smile.

“I know Sehunnie can be a little… rough. But you have to forgive him. My father trained him like this. He knows no other way.”

Kyungsoo fails to understand how this is relevant. He tells Baekhyun.

Baekhyun smiles indulgently.

“He has been instructed to break you. It’s the only way he knows how to train people. But he doesn’t really want to, Kyungsoo.”

“You sure about that?”

Baekhyun chuckles gently. “He’s a difficult man to read, but I can assure he likes you. He’s hoping you’ll succeed where the others have failed. He wants you to stay. We all do, darling.”

He has started calling Kyungsoo that, among other things. Baekhyun is over affectionate, over caring, over everything Kyungsoo has learned. He is a contradiction, both dangerous and harmless at the same time.

Kyungsoo shouldn’t care about what he has to say. But he does. The words warm his heart, the bone deep fatigue leaving him for a moment. His eyes stare into the other man’s, sensing how true this is.

The fallen angels have taken a liking to him, the lowly creature, the human rejected by his own society.

Perhaps there is a parallel to be made here. They were all cast out, misfits in a world of perfection. Mistakes.

Kyungsoo has never felt like a mistake. He’s felt excluded, pushed back, forgotten. But never has be felt abandoned by his own family, cast aside like a disgusting creature.

He doesn’t really understand what he does next.

His hand comes to cup Baekhyun’s cheek, knowing very well the danger lying there, the temptation that will come with the contact of his skin.

It’s here, undeniable lust, undeniable power, undeniable darkness. But it’s toned down considerably, buried for Kyungsoo to be able to withstand the touch without immediately giving in.

Baekhyun smiles brightly, beautiful as ever. Kyungsoo wonders exactly what kind of monster would reject such a man.

“He was right,” Baekhyun whispers. “You really are his Soul Breaker.”

Kyungsoo has a small smile of his own and his hand falls, the void and emptiness a vivid reminder of the power the brothers’ touch holds.

“I’m not anyone’s. I am my own person.”

Baekhyun smirks, satisfied. “Sehun is washing over you, I see.”

He gets up and his hand comes to play with the key on his chest. “You know,” he says, his voice suddenly serious “I asked Sehun for Durandal when he brought it back.” His eyes tint with the distant memory. “You know what he told me?”

Kyungsoo answers bitterly. “That you would cut yourself with it?”

Baekhyun shakes his head and Kyungsoo raises a brow, surprised.

“He said I wasn’t worthy of it.”

The confession has Kyungsoo completely stunned, his eyes opening wide. Baekhyun laughs at his expression and turns around, opening the door to leave. He gives Kyungsoo one last look before he exits the room, his laugh stronger than before.

If Baekhyun is telling the truth, then… Then Sehun might not hate him as much as he thought.


	8. Chapter 8

Jongin has a plan. It isn’t the best plan he’s ever conceived, but he doesn’t care. Where’s the fun in being sure to succeed?

He explains it over dinner, the eyes of his brothers attentive and excited. Even the Soul Breaker seems glad for a change.

He’s been doing much better at his training in the past week. Something must have happened. He was close to breaking, Jongin could feel it in his mind. He was beginning to be disappointed in the man, losing interest.

Perhaps he was wrong. Perhaps the man was just like the others.

But he wasn’t.

No, he’d caught himself and thrown himself back in with resolve, his mind back to calm dark waters. He still failed to defeat Sehun, which was expected, but now he was taking every failure as a lesson, every cut and bruise as a reminder of his mistakes.

The sword, without Kyungsoo realizing, was beginning to ply to his will, sensing the strength of its new owner.

Durandal is far from a gift. It is beautiful, deadly, the sharpest to ever be forged. But it is also capricious and heavy with its past. Its previous masters were an emperor and a knight of Heaven. Those are difficult burdens to bear, difficult masters to surpass. But Kyungsoo is doing it. He is taking ownership of the sword.

He is overcoming light with both darkness and humanity in a way Jongin has never seen.

It makes him feel so alive, the strength of the Soul Breaker making his blood rush deliciously. He has forgotten this feeling, has never known the power that comes with humanity.

The possibilities, contradictions, senseless decisions. They have a choice. They can be light or darkness, they can be a little bit of both. They do not have to succumb. They can resist in a way angels cannot.

They are free. A freedom Jongin was denied at birth. A freedom him and his brothers all tried to claim back, without success. They are creatures chained to their desires, unable to escape their very nature, no matter how many times they try, no matter what they do.

But Kyungsoo, Kyungsoo is free to choose and his choices are music to Jongin’s ears.

“You want to do what?” Jongdae interrupts Jongin’s reverie.

“I want to capture an angel.”

Silence welcomes his words. They didn’t expect this.

“Angels are the only ones who know how to cross the barrier. If we’re going to get any shot at getting that sword before they realize we’ve located it, we need to make one of them tell us how to get through.”

They all see the truth in his words. Reluctance is there however, along with understanding.

“And how do you suppose we capture an angel?” Sehun asks, dubitative.

Jongin eyes gleam in anticipation.

“We trap his soul into the Soul Breaker’s stone.”

Kyungsoo stares, his eyes focused on Jongin, listening intently. “I can do that?”

“Theoretically, yes,” Jongin answers with a reassuring smile. “But you’re not strong enough to fight an angel yet. Which is why I will come with you.”

Kyungsoo does not react. He considers the possibility of the both of them fighting together methodically. There is no thrill of anticipation, no flaring of hope or desire. Kyungsoo doesn’t react the way any other servant has, thrilled at the opportunity of working alongside his master. He is impervious to those feelings, those pathetic little things Jongin is so used to see in the eyes of his followers.

Kyungsoo is not his possession. He belongs to himself and himself only.

He has more resolve than all previous Soul Breakers before him.

“I am not done with his training just yet.” Sehun sounds angry. Jongin bows his head a little. “You’ll resume when we get back.”

“You mean if you get back,” Jongdae bites sarcastically and Minseok slaps his arm.

“Jongin, dear. Perhaps it’s a little too early,” Baekhyun comments.

“It’s fine,” Kyungsoo interrupts and Jongin’s eyes snap back to him. He’s watching Baekhyun with a little smile. It disappears the moment his eyes come back on Jongin. “I want to do this.”

They stare at each other like they always do. Jongin has never met a human who was able to withstand the power of his eyes. He loves the challenge the other man provides.

“Tomorrow then.” Jongin ends the conversation there, his decision final.

He’ll have to warn Baekhyun off again it seems. He dreads that little smile Kyungsoo has given him, however insignificant. Except it’s anything but.

There is a bond forming between his brothers and the Soul Breaker, something he’s never ever seen happening before. It is disturbing. The Soul Breaker is supposed to be his. This is… unusual.

Jongin is not sure he likes it.

 

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Kyungsoo is back in his room after dinner. He is checking his weapons for tomorrow morning. All is in its place, all but the stone.

The stone is missing, gone from its place in his bed drawer, besides the photograph of his family and the drawing of his sister.

Where the loss of his mother’s necklace was an unfortunate event, the loss of the stone is a catastrophe.

He looks for it everywhere in the room but it’s nowhere to be found.

Someone has taken it.

He would have never expected thieves in the Devil’s house. In prison, he was used to hiding his maigre possessions, but he assumed he didn’t need to here. He was wrong.

He is suddenly scarred for the first time since he’s arrived. They said this stone was unique. If he’s lost it…

He cannot bare to imagine what will happen.

Just when he feels the dread starting to twist his insides, the door of his room opens violently, banging loudly against the wall.

Jongin is suddenly there, his eyes zoning out on Kyungsoo immediately. He looks him up and down, then all around the room. He looks… confused.

“What is happening?” he asks.

What does he mean, what is happening? How can he know?

Minseok has explained the bond but he hasn’t told him anything about emotions. If Jongin can sense his fear, then that means he can sense other things as well.

“Kyungsoo,” Jongin demands again “what is the matter?”

Kyungsoo swallows difficultly. He looks Jongin in the eyes when he tells him, not wanting to shy away from his responsibilities.

“Jongin, I have… I’ve lost the stone.”

Guilt can be heard clearly in his voice. Jongin watches him like he doesn’t understand. He doesn’t seem angry, just stunned.

And then he laughs.

It is dark and beautiful, low and guttural, shaking Kyungsoo to the core, making his heart beat strongly. Oh, the Devil’s laugh is something. It is terrible music to Kyungsoo’s ears.

“You haven’t lost the stone, Soul Breaker. You cannot lose the stone. It will always come back to you.”

Kyungsoo blinks, designating the nightstand. “But it isn’t here. I left it in the drawer and it’s just gone.”

Jongin closes the door with a smile. “That’s because I took it.”

Kyungsoo opens his eyes wide and a strong wave of relief washes over him. He hasn’t lost it. He hasn’t lost the stone.

But then he frowns. “Wait, why did you take it?”

Jongin moves closer then, his hand reaching inside his jacket. He pulls a little red velvet case from there, presenting it to Kyungsoo with a smile still bright on his face.

“Don’t worry, I know you and the stone want to be reunited. Just give me a second.”

He extends his hand to Kyungsoo, presenting him with the box. He’s tempted to just throw it away and demand the stone right here and now, the need so strong it pulls angrily at his heart.

But instead he takes the box, careful not to meet Jongin’s fingers, the memory of his touch still vividly painful. He doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to forget it.

He opens the box with little patience and throws a quick look inside.

The contents trap the breath in his lungs.

His mother’s necklace is there, along with the stone. But they aren’t just there. They’re here _together_.

The stone has been pierced in the middle and assembled to the necklace. It falls perfectly, the chocolate brown a beautiful match to the soft golden color.

He looks up, eyes meeting Jongin’s.

He knows Jongin can see how grateful he is, how touched. He has… he has done this for him. No one has ever… Just… No one.

Jongin’s eyes are dark, concerned. They seem to understand everything Kyungsoo isn’t telling him. Sensing the pain hidden in his head and buried in his heart.

“I…,” Kyungsoo starts but he doesn’t know what to say. “Thank you.”

It doesn’t cover half of what he feels but it’s enough. For now.

 

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Jongin feels it as vividly as if it was his own.

The stab of fear is intense, blooming in his chest, worse with every passing moment.

He doesn’t even remember leaving his office until he’s standing behind the door, kicking it in. Whomever is coming after Kyungsoo is going to regret ever laying eyes on him.

But to his surprise, Kyugnsoo is alone. The fear is still there, stronger now that Jongin is in the room. However, there isn’t any obvious reason why.

“What is happening?” he asks hurriedly.

Perhaps he has been poisoned. Hell is supposed to be safe, but he can never be too careful.

The other man is lost, confused and Jongin wants answers. Now. He needs them.

“Kyungsoo, what is the matter?”

There is a flicker of understanding and then the chocolate brown eyes are on his, staring him down with unmistakable guilt.

“Jongin, I have… I’ve lost he stone.”

It takes him so long to understand. So long to see there isn’t anything Kyungsoo is afraid of, anything else than his own mistake.

It has Jongin laughing wholeheartedly, relief flooding his veins.

All is well, the Soul Breaker simply thinks he has lost the stone. As if he could ever.

The stone belongs to him and he belongs to it. There are one and the same entity Jongin explains.

He senses the need Kyungsoo has to see the stone again and he takes out his little present. He wanted to give it to him tomorrow morning, but he guesses he cannot afford to wait any longer.

The annoyance is still there as he opens the box, thinking it’s another useless thing. But the moment his eyes meet the gift, the whole world shifts.

The relief comes with the pain, unbearable, monstrous pain. A match to his own.

It isn’t beautiful like the other humans’ pain, the one the Devil feeds on vengefully. No, it is a bottomless pit of despair, an ocean of solitude that has Jongin drowning.

The lake is no longer calm. It is raging with memories and buried feelings.

Kyungsoo has lost the only family he ever had. He no longer knows the meaning of the word, no longer expects anyone to care for him. He doesn’t have the unshakable bond Jongin relies upon every day, the true source of his power. He has no constant but his loneliness and his resolve, the things Jongin has admired from the start.

He sees it then, the way his brothers have taken care of Kyungsoo over the past two months. Minseok’s friendliness, Jongdae’s good days spent in his company, Sehun’s constant teasing, Baekhyun’s comforting annoyance.

It all lays bare in Kyungsoo’s eyes as they meet his and Jongin, for the first time in his long, eternal life, does not know what to say.

He wants to do something, but he doesn’t. For the first time in a very long time he does not take what he wants. He waits, like a statue, a frozen heart touched by a warm hand.

Something is melting inside, something he thought he’d buried forever.

“I…,” Kyungsoo stops, looks back down on the necklace. “Thank you.”

It is nothing. It is insignificant. This gift, this human’s gratitude. And yet.

It is _everything_.

“Where did you find it?” Kyungsoo asks and Jongin doesn’t want to answer. He wants to run away, far far away from this room, from the chocolate brown eyes of his Soul Breaker.

“Baekhyun stole it,” he answers darkly. “He has a weakness for shiny things.”

Kyungsoo’s flare of annoyance is bright. “I’m going to beat his ass.”

The comment would have Jongin chuckling happily if it wasn’t for the weight in his chest.

The smaller man takes the necklace out of the box with outmost care. He lets the stone roll between his fingers before he puts it on.

It falls perfectly, the stone coming to rest just where his heart stands, a protective beacon shining contently now that it has been reunited with its rightful owner.

Jongin doesn’t understand the reverence he sees in Kyungsoo’s eyes when he looks at the jewel. It is a simple trinket. He could give him so much more, royal and cursed stones of the darkest beauty, worn by the most famous and infamous people in history. He could have cases filled with jewels, gold, silver, diamonds if he so much as asked.

But the way he looks at the necklace tells Jongin endless treasures would be no match to this simple chain. To the necklace as a whole and to the intent Kyungsoo sees behind it.

He watches for too long, too silently. Seconds pass, a full minute before he turns around, ready to leave. Kyungsoo’s soft voice catches him off guard.

“Good night, Jongin.”

He clothes his eyes, willing the emotions to disappear for his pleased look to take their place. He gives Kyungsoo what he hopes is a perfect replica of his usual smile. “Good night, Kyungsoo.”


	9. Chapter 9

Kyungsoo steps out of the elevator into the savannah.

Jongin has advised against a coat and scarf for this and Kyungsoo is wearing a plain white shirt rolled up to his elbows. His gun is there but it no longer resides in his shoulder holster. It is tucked in a new holster resting against his chest. The holster has been attached to the leather strap of Durandal’s sheath. The sword rests in his back, Kyungsoo not quite used to its weight yet. Sehun has ordered him to carry it around the mansion but he only did a couple of times, feeling stupid walking around with a weapon half his size strapped to his back. Perhaps he should have listened.

Jongin looks like his usual self, perfect black suit, perfect slicked back messy hair, perfect smile. He walks around without a care in the world, oblivious to the scorching heat or the dangerous animals lurking around.

They stumble upon lions after half an hour and Kyungsoo stops Jongin, telling him to stay perfectly immobile as the animal makes eye contact with them.

Jongin ignores Kyungsoo’s warnings and steps up to the majestic creature, so close he can almost touch it. it doesn’t move, doesn’t seem to care.

Of course, Jongin starts petting it.

“Are you fucking kidding me?!” Kyungsoo whispers under his breath, eyes rolling high.

“Kyungsoo, come here,” Jongin calls and he considers flipping the Devil the bird. “Come on,” he calls again and Kyungsoo reluctantly walks over, his eyes never leaving the Lion.

It has its eyes closed in delight as Jongin scratches its back and mane. He invites Kyungsoo to do the same. He reaches tentatively and finds the skin soft and hot under his fingertips.

“How come you can do this?” he asks, starting to comb carefully through the impressive mass of the Lion’s mane.

Jongin shrugs and smiles as a cub approaches tentatively, followed closely by its mother. Kyungsoo feels very uncomfortable, scarred even though he refuses to admit it.

“It’s the sent. It changes for all animals, making them think I’m something they needn’t fear.”

The cub jumps on Jongin’s knees and begins playing with him, its impressive teeth nibbling at Jongin’s hands.

Kyungsoo watches the surreal scene, letting himself relax. He gets acquainted with the female. She’s wearier, watching them from afar for minutes before coming to lie down with her cubs. Kyungsoo dedicates his attention to her while Jongin plays with the little balls of fury, laughing and talking to them as if they were just big cats.

“Jongin,” Kyungsoo starts, his hand vibrating with the low purr of the lioness, a strange contentment flowing through him, only disturbed by his vigilance “As much as I’m enjoying this, shouldn’t we be trying to find the angel?”

The Devil ruffles the top of the cub’s head and smiles. “Don’t worry, he’s here. I can feel him watching us.”

Kyungsoo tenses a little and the lioness turns her head towards him, suddenly alert. She relaxes again when Kyungsoo gently pats her head, reassuring.

It takes the angel time to come out of hiding, but once he has, Kyungsoo knows it’s him.

He’s tall, taller than Jongin, his shoulders wide. He has beautiful silver hair, very clear eyes, the lightest of blues, round soft features and adorable prominent ears. His aura is undeniable, innocent and pure. Kyungsoo feels both drawn and repelled, his humanity fighting his darkness. The angel is a handsome being of light, his skin fair, perfect as it gleams under the sunrays.

He is dressed in a long light blue coat, a white t-shirt and jeans. Kyungsoo thinks he’s imagined another detail, but no. The angel is wearing Converses.

He tenses again as the man approaches and the lions sense his discomfort. They turn towards the intruder with a growl, warning him off without moving just yet.

Jongin gets up, dusting his suit off. He whispers something Kyungsoo doesn’t hear and his eyes flash. The lions get up and start walking away peacefully. Kyungsoo raises a brow and Jongin smiles. “This isn’t their fight.”

As if that explained everything.

They get down the hill and walk towards the stranger. They finally stop when they have reached a distance Jongin deems acceptable.

The man before them is even taller than Kyungsoo imagined and his face more handsome. He does not smile however, not the little smile Jongin constantly has on his own lips.

“Jongin,” the man says and his voice is low, comforting, melodic.

Everything Kyungsoo imagines is fit for an angel.

“Brother,” Jongin welcomes him.

Those two have met before, it is clear in the way they stare at each other.

The angel’s eyes suddenly fall on Kyungsoo and the smaller plants his feet on the ground, standing ready to draw if he tries anything.

“I do not know you,” the man remarks. His eyes are frank, soft. He smiles warmly “Who are you?”

It’s the human part he smiles to. But Kyungsoo cannot have this part surging now, not when he’s supposed to kill the man in cold blood.

“Stop with the charm, Chanyeol. It doesn’t work on him,” Jongin warns, his voice darker than moments before.

The angel, Chanyeol apparently, stops smiling and looks petulantly towards Jongin. “Would you let me introduce myself, please.”

This man is not a man. He is a _child_.

He turns his eyes back on Kyungsoo and smiles again. Kyungsoo doesn’t like it. How innocent must this man be to smile at a man standing alongside the Devil, a sword strapped to his back.

Jongin clicks his tongue, annoyed. He answers for him. “His name is Do Kyungsoo. He is my Soul Breaker.”

The words instantly break the spell. The angel takes a step back, his eyes round with fear. And then comes the sadness, infinitely soft compassion.

It pisses Kyungsoo off. It’s the same pity he sees in the eyes of the emissaries. He hates it.

He hates it and yet he does nothing to stop it. He doesn’t draw his sword, doesn’t fire his gun.

He realizes with horror he’s supposed to _kill_ this man.

Jongin seems to sense his reluctance and he turns strong red eyes on him.

He’s not only disappointed, it’s stronger than that. His pupils are retracted, his brows furrowed. He feels betrayed, Kyungsoo understands.

The cold metal of Durandal suddenly starts singing a dark song to him, the metal ringing in the air. He’s the only one to hear it, the only one to understand the call.

_Trade carefully, Soul Breaker. Choose wisely._

Kyungsoo’s eyes come to rest on the angel, his bright innocence a sharp contrast to Jongin’s turmoil of darkness. Those eyes are clear blue, those lips soft pink, those hands pure milky white.

Those aren’t the eyes he’s starred defiantly into for the past two months, the lips he’s kissed to seal his contract, the bronze skin of the hands who have gifted him the necklace hanging around his neck.

The angel isn’t part of the world Kyungsoo belongs to. He is not the side he has chosen.

He is bright, pure, untamed light that has nothing to do with the Soul Breaker. In another life, he would have believed in him, in the promises goodness offers, but he no longer can. There is no going back.

His family is dead, his light resting there with them.

Durandal senses his resolve and the cold metal calls to him, sings at his touch.

He draws the sword silently, but it makes more noise than any words he could have ever spoken.

He holds it in his right hand, the handle coming to rest along the calluses it has formed, painful and yet so familiar, a comfort in this situation.

Only then does he turn towards Jongin, his eyes meeting his with regret. _I’m sorry_ , he lets them say and Jongin smiles a painfully soft smile, the light rushing back to his eyes in a beautiful storm of emotions.

He is both his own person and the Devil’s Soul Breaker.

Chanyeol watches him approach with the same round eyes, fear and disbelief written clearly alongside pity.

He shouldn’t pity him. There is nothing here to pity.

 

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Jongin doesn’t move because Kyungsoo doesn’t want him to.

He wants to do this on his own.

It was always a risk, exposing him to such bright light so soon after his contract. But it was a risk worth taking as Jongin can now see, can feel.

His blood sings with Kyungsoo’s beautiful admission.

His Soul Breaker at last. And not his Soul Breaker completely.

He strikes the first blow in an arc painfully slow but Chanyeol, in all his naivety, wasn’t expecting it.

The wound in the angel’s arm lets out a shining light, pouring out in bright rays. It doesn’t slow Kyungsoo down as he strikes again, faster and surer this time. Chanyeol intercepts it with the back of his hand, turning the blade back on Kyungsoo, pushing it to bite in his shoulder.

The pain echoes in Jongin, their connection stronger now. He cannot experience the wound, but he can feel it in his flesh as if it was his own.

Kyungsoo, however, does not stop. He draws his gun, firing a bullet at Chanyeol’s heart. The taller stumbles backwards with the strength of the projectile, even as it ricochets uselessly.

Kyungsoo has been warned about the superior strength of angels over emissaries but he doesn’t seem to care.

The distraction works and he slashes Chanyeol’s leg hurriedly. It is not graceful, not yet, but it does the job.

Chanyeol’s eyes lose their brightness, coming to terms with what he has to do and he sternly advances on Kyungsoo, light pouring out of him like liquid diamond.

His forearm blocks the flat of the sword and he punches Kyungsoo in the stomach. The smaller man doubles over and whirls around the sword. The blade tilts, the edge cutting through the angel’s perfect skin.

The sword is still reluctant to move alongside Kyungsoo. They’ve only been acquainted for a month, not long enough for a true bond to form.

It cooperates reluctantly but it’s enough for the experienced killer. He fires a bullet at Chanyeol’s head just as the other strikes his arm. The gun slips out of his hand, but the bullet finds its aim. It blinds Chanyeol momentarily, just enough time for Kyungsoo to sink the sword in his chest.

Chanyeol lets out a silent cry of pain and his eyes come to meet Kyungsoo’s head on. There is still time to change sides they say, there is still time for him to see the light.

Kyungsoo removes the sword swiftly.

Chanyeol falls to his knees. There is a perfect, clear tear rolling on his cheek.

The light flows out, leaving the envelope to dissolve completely. Silence only is left as Kyungsoo turns around, sheathing his sword. The stone on his chest is shining brightly.

His Soul Breaker has caught an angel’s soul.


	10. Chapter 10

“Look at the state of him. You said you’d help, Jongin.”

Minseok doesn’t look happy. He is sited close to Kyungsoo on his bed, eyes trained on the wounds on the Soul Breaker’s chest.

The sword has cut deep in Kyungsoo’s shoulder and the perfect stitches still leave a red angry mark. He has bruises where Chanyeol’s hands have struck.

The Soul Breaker is strong, but not stronger than an angel.

He has released the soul and it is now trapped downstairs, reconstructing its body difficulty. There isn’t much light it can work with here.

All the brothers are in the room, Jongdae leaning against the door, Sehun watching Jongin from the couch, Baekhyun silent on the side, turning the stone in his hands with interest.

“Who did you catch?” Jongdae asks and Jongin smiles. “Don’t look at me, I didn’t catch anyone. Kyungsoo did it all on his own.”

Jongdae raises surprised brows and Minseok smiles. “Well, that explains the bruises.”

They all watch the Soul Breaker, sited there silently, marks visible on his skin. His eyes are slightly unfocused with the medicine the doctor has given him.

Jongin can feel his calm, even after the difficult step he had to take. He is at peace with himself, his mind driven elsewhere, somewhere Jongin cannot quite reach.

“So, who did you catch?” Sehun asks Kyungsoo directly.

He turns deep brown eyes to stare at the taller. “His name is Chanyeol.”

The silence is heavy in the room. Jongin watches Baekhyun’s reaction closely.

He keeps rolling the stone in his hand without any obvious change of behavior at the mention of their brother.

He already knew, Jongin realizes. He’d known from the moment they’d come back. Baekhyun would probably recognize their brother’s soul anywhere.

They used to be close, closer than any of them were until Baekhyun had given in, wanting something that was far from what he could get.

He’d wanted the taller’s body and the angel had refused, disgusted. Baekhyun had seen his trust betrayed, his walls tumbling down, giving in to the desire in his bones. To his lust.

And thus, he had fallen.

Jongin had always thought it remained a sore subject for his brother, but it wasn’t anymore. Not after years and years living with darkness as his guide and protector. Baekhyun has built himself an armor of want. He has become untouchable with people’s continuous touch.

He turns, his eyes finding Jongin’s, seeing clearly through the Devil’s intent.

He didn’t choose the angel for nothing. It had to be Chanyeol because Chanyeol is easy to break. Because Baekhyun is the one who will break him.

He should apologize for not warning him, but his mind is too caught up with the beauty of their victory, with the pride he feels towards his Soul Breaker. He has caught an angel on his own after all.

Baekhyun’s face suddenly breaks in a bright smile, all mischievous teeth and reckless touch. “You brought him as a gift, didn’t you?”

Jongin nods and Baekhyun’s smile brightens. He gets up and comes to coo at him with a hand resting on his face. “Oh, Jongin dear. You’re adorable.”

Jongin smiles, the pride and satisfaction swelling considerably in his heart with his brother’s approval. Everyone in the room seems to relax, everyone but Kyungsoo who watches the interaction with dark eyes.

“I’ll better get changed, then.” Baekhyun says and leaves the room, eagerness clear in his every step.

“What is he going to do with him?” Kyungsoo asks, eyes on the door Baekhyun has just closed. “Torture him?”

Jongdae snorts. “He would deserve it.”

“He’s not going to torture him,” Jongin answers Kyungsoo, trying to reassure the worry he senses in his head.

“Then what?” Kyungsoo asks again, starring.

Minseok pats Kyungsoo’s thigh and smiles “He’s going to seduce him.”

 

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Kyungsoo is starring at the screen, the image retransmitted from another room located deep beneath the castle.

The angel has reconstructed his body partly. He looks like a sick replica of his former self: skin translucent, hair of a dirty silver color, eyes dull blue.

He is dressed exactly the same, but his tall demeanor is gone, replaced by the impervious face of an expressionless man.

He no longer inspires compassion. He inspires pity. Well, not for his state.

He does however sympathizes with the angel for what he is about to face.

When Baekhyun steps inside the living room, he looks more dangerous and desirable than he ever has.

His hair is raven black, curled on his forehead, looking wet, the sight making Kyungsoo remember their first encounter. His dark eyes are rimmed with black kohl, lined with soft cherry red and glitter. His gaze in tantalizing, light lurking in his pupils like those of an incredibly beautiful untamed beast.

He is wearing a black suit, stripped with white unclear patterns. Underneath is red cashmere creating the illusion of a blood-stained neck. The chain he wears on his lips is silver, running along the entirety of his lower lip, tied loosely to the pocket of his suit. His beautiful hands are heavy with red rubies, the nails painted accordingly.

His smell is the most distinctive feature, cologne so powerful it lures Kyungsoo closer without having him realizing it.

Kyungsoo has never really feared Baekhyun, not in the way he’s been wary of the others. But with him looking like that, a caged animal, temptation incarnate ready to be set lose, Kyungsoo fears his feral beauty for the first time.

This isn’t the Baekhyun he knows. This is an armor, the one that he would see him wear for a war.

He was scarred for the annoying little man but now he knows. Baekhyun wasn’t born yesterday. He can take care of his own just fine.

Jongin steps forward, devastatingly beautiful smile on his face. The brothers watch each other, an overall sense of dark mutual trust.

“Get the truth out of him.”

Baekhyun nods and he steps towards the elevator, almost disappearing from view.

“And Baekhyun,” Jongin calls back and the other man turns around. “We need him alive and _sane_.”

To this Baekhyun just winks and he is gone.

“Chanyeol is going to wish he was dead,” Sehun comments with a little smile. There is unmistakable humor in his voice.

They wait for the image to change on the screen. There is suddenly the sound of a door opening and Kyungsoo watches as Baekhyun steps in the room, his presence filling the empty void of the bare stone walls.

Chanyeol’s reaction has Jongdae laughing wholeheartedly, a sadistic smile on his lips.

It takes the angel long to recognize the smaller man when he comes to crouch before him, watching with interested eyes at Chanyeol, probably looking for small, little changes.

The other watches him as sternly as ever, no emotions on his face.

That is until he finally realizes who is in the room with him.

His eyes grow wide, so wide they seem to eat his entire face, his mouth falling open and the breath blocking in his lungs. He takes it all in, looking everywhere at once at inhuman speed.

His voice is a murmur, broken and bare in a way Kyungsoo didn’t think light creatures could be. “Baekhyun?!”

Baekhyun stands back up, seemingly unimpressed. He leans against the wall opposite Chanyeol’s bunk, his arms crossing over his chest, slender finders twisting the rings on his hands.

Chanyeol gets up and Baekhyun stops him with a press of his hand, creating an invisible barrier between the two of them. He is stronger than anything here, darkness seemingly everywhere, filling his power, twisting around him with all its infinite possibilities.

“You haven’t changed,” Baekhyun concludes.

“Baekhyun? Is that you?” Chanyeol asks again.

He sounds so much like a broken animal already.

Baekhyun’s brow climbs up his forehead. “Who else, Chanyeollie?”

The nickname has Chanyeol falling to the ground, watching the smaller man with tormented eyes.

They said Baekhyun wouldn’t torture him, but this isn’t torturing him, this is _breaking_ him.

“Oh, come on!” Minseok comments with a frown “This is too easy. You should have given him to Jongdae, so we’d have a little fun at least.”

Jongin smiles but he doesn’t answer anything. His eyes are resting on the screen, a watchful figure.

“He used to call him that back in Heaven,” he explains to Kyungsoo, pouring himself a drink at the same time. “It’s a pretty low maneuver, even coming from him.”

Sehun raises his hand to silence him, his eyes still on the screen. “It’s genius. He won’t last long if he keeps this up.”

Baekhyun is supposed to seduce Chanyeol, but he simply doesn’t need to. Chanyeol is already enthralled, Kyungsoo can feel it vividly.

He has ownership of his soul now, they are linked in a way he wasn’t prepared for.

The turmoil of emotions in Chanyeol echoes in Kyungsoo’s mind painfully clearly. The angel is seeing his fallen brother for the first time in millenniums, his image of him so different from the one before his eyes he is uncapable of reconnecting the two.

He is mourning what Baekhyun used to be, a weak little creature in need of protection, a beacon of light and kindness, dear to Chanyeol, undying pure platonic love binding them together.

He thought Baekhyun was broken in the fall, still the creature he was in Heaven but infinitely weaker, waiting to be rescued from the Devil by the rest of his brothers. By Chanyeol himself.

The truth has his whole world falling apart.

Baekhyun is not weak, he is strong, stronger than he’s ever been. Baekhyun is not light, he is darkness, darker than Chanyeol ever imagined he could be. Baekhyun is not pure, he is tainted, he is temptation itself.

And he is at peace with his appearance, he is at peace with his fall. The price of his sins does not weight on his soul, it blooms in his every cell with undeniable raw beauty.

Kyungsoo hears him think this, hears the call of despair and confusion he throws to the sky, to his father. Chanyeol is calling God, but God cannot hear him here.

Angels are not impervious to temptation it seems. They simply choose to reject and crush it with every fiber of their being.

But Kyungsoo sees Chanyeol is unable to crush the thought of Baekhyun completely.

His inspection of Chanyeol’s feelings is interrupted by a command in his head. _“I said alive, Baekhyun.”_

It is Jongin’s voice, and although it sounds like an order, it is definitely more of an amused comment.

Chanyeol gets back up on the screen and he backs away from the smaller man, his eyes wary. “What has he done to you?” he asks.

Baekhyuns turns his eyes on him. “Nothing. He has helped me reach my full potential. Something you lack cruelly.”

They are talking about Jongin, Kyungsoo figures. Chanyeol shakes his head in disbelief.

“You used to be such a beautiful soul, Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun stares, his body stilling completely. “Am I not beautiful like this?”

There is a slight pull of power. Chanyeol’s breath stops.

“You…” he doesn’t finish as Baekhyun steps closer. He stops at the barrier and waves his hand, taking it down.

Sehun tenses beside Kyungsoo.

Baekhyun steps even closer, coming to a halt right in front of Chanyeol, invading his personal space. He plants his eyes in the angel’s, looking up to the much taller man.

He may be taller, but Baekhyun is the one towering him.

“Am I not, Chanyeol?” Baekhyun asks again and he’s got the other man trapped in the cage of his cologne and his red lined eyes.

Angels cannot lie Kyungsoo knows. They cannot sin, so they cannot lie. And Chanyeol is no exception.

He doesn’t say anything because if he did voice so much as a word, Kyungsoo feels the compelling truth he would have to enunciate.

Chanyeol thinks Baekhyun is more than just beautiful. Chanyeol thinks Baekhyun is breathtaking.

Baekhyun moves a hand closer to the taller’s face, his fingers coursing the air around Chanyeol’s cheek.

“I used to need you so badly,” Baekhyun says, voice dark, both erotic and painful with the memory.

Chanyeol cannot look away, cannot escape the ghost of his touch.

But Baekhyun lets his hand fall back to his side, eyes back to the present, devoid of the raging emotions the past stirred in him.

“But not anymore.”

He takes a step back and motions to leave.

“Baekhyun, wait.” Chanyeol calls, his hand extended towards him in a pleading gesture. “Don’t leave me here alone.”

Baekhyun watches and then he smiles. “Oh, I would, Chany. But you see I have precious little things waiting for me upstairs and well… I’d hate for them to start playing without me.”

He toys with darkness so well, pries on the angel’s weakness so perfectly, Kyungsoo understands why it had to be Baekhyun.

He is a merciless torturer, true in his aim, perfect and absolute Evil in this cell.

The door closes on Chanyeol as he backs away, sinking to the floor, hurt flaring in his insides along with something darker.

Anger.


	11. Chapter 11

Baekhyun gets back upstairs, trotting happily as he steps into the living room, his hand brushing his hair away, his eyes sparkling playfully.

“You did good,” Jongin praises him and Baekhyun smiles a blinding smile making his eyes crinkle at the corners. He comes to circle his arms around Sehun’s chest, resting his head on top of his shoulder.

He is back to his usual self, no longer the scary nightmare Kyungsoo saw in the cell downstairs.

“It was careless of you to take down the barrier,” Sehun says, looking to the smaller man on his right.

Baekhyun looks back with a pout. “He wouldn’t hurt me.”

“You wanna bet?” Jongdae throws bitterly, sipping on his drink. Minseok comes to stand before him, taking the glass from his hand and setting it aside, brushing a little drop of liquor off his mouth with his thumb. Jongdae traps Minseok’s waist, pulling him closer. The smaller man comes to lace his fingers with Jongdae’s as he leans against him in a comfortable and comforting position.

Whenever they come anywhere near the subject of angels hurting their fallen brothers, Minseok seeks Jongdae, almost as if he was afraid the mere mention would steal his partner away from him again.

He has explained what has happened to Jongdae on the ground. Exposed their one weakness. They need Hell to survive, which is why the Soul Breaker is so important.

The deals are what’s keeping this place alive, keeping them alive.

In a way they all depend on him.

Kyungsoo feels like an idiot, standing there, emotions confused. There is lust, pride, envy, want, a little anger as well.

He is so weary with the ever-changing nature of the people around him. He needs a break.

He excuses himself and escapes to his room. A little sleep sounds wonderful to him and he lays down, closing his eyes for a minute. He’ll be back before dinner, he promises himself.

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Kyungsoo misses dinner and Jongin comes to check up on him only to find him sleeping fully clothed on his bed, his feet coming off the end, his head craned in a strange position.

Jongin supposes he shouldn’t wake the other man. After all, he needs to start working again on his swordsmanship first thing tomorrow.

For now, Jongin can let him sleep.

He wrinkles his nose at the uncomfortable position. The Soul Breaker will hurt worst tomorrow if he sleeps like this.

Jongin lifts him effortlessly, careful not to touch his skin. He tucks his body under the covers, making sure he is not resting on his damaged shoulder. He finds himself trapped there when he is done, his eyes attached to the other man’s tensed features.

Something in Do Kyungsoo makes Jongin care. It is beneath him, other matters more urgent, obligations he has to fulfill. And yet, he stays there, watching the Soul Breaker sleep.

The bond between them is strong, stronger than it’s ever been with any of his previous Soul Breakers, but it still isn’t enough for Jongin. He wants to know everything about the other man, understand what motivates him to stay here. What has made him chose Jongin so definitively.

His hand moves of its own accord, reaching for the short hair to carefully touch. Just a second, one moment. He wants someone to feel his skin on theirs without burning them. Without cursing Jongin.

The stone on Kyungsoo’s neck starts gleaming just as his fingers come in contact with the hot skin and he hesitates, unsure of what to do for perhaps the first time in his life.

To his outmost surprise, Kyungsoo doesn’t wake up. No, he sights, comfort invading his mind as he relaxes into his touch.

It’s impossible.

Jongin tries again, endless and endless strokes. The stone shines every time, taking on the burden of the fire of his skin, letting him enjoy the simple warmth of another body.

It is only a stolen moment, borrowed time, but it has Jongin leave everything behind, his mind focused solely on the touch, on the feeling soothing Kyungsoo’s mind as much as his own.

The Soul Breaker is beautiful under Jongin’s hand, more beautiful perhaps than all the divine presence of his brothers.

His features are unmistakably human, but they are far from mundane. The color of his eyes Jongin knows is soft, could be considered simple mud. But he’d strike down anyone who would dare call it that.

His lips are full, parted slightly, inviting. He remembers the ghost of those lips on his, the simple press of skin on skin, the warm breath shared. It sends a thrill down his spine, making the hairs on his arms stand to attention.

What if he could do it again? What if he could take the Soul Breaker right there and now and make him fall apart under his hands?

It would be so easily done, so easily consumed.

Is it worth it however, destroying the little trust Kyungsoo has placed in him? Risking the other man’s sanity over the fleeting curse of pleasure?

With any other human, he would have answered yes. But with Kyungsoo he believes no, it isn’t.

He needs the Soul Breaker just as much as the Soul Breaker needs him.

He ghosts his lips over the wound on his shoulder, pressing the barest of kisses, pouring a little power into the touch.

The pain is hard set stone, but he takes it anyway, mixes it with his own. _I’m sorry_ , he thinks, drawing the last touch for as long as possible, leaving his skin aching with the missing warmth.

_I’ll protect you from now on. I’ll protect you just as fiercely as you protected me._

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Kyungsoo is dreaming.

He is walking in the black ash desert, alone. There is no one there with him, no one there to save him from his loneliness. He drowns in it, condemned to roam the underworld for eternity.

He has given half of his soul to the Devil, but the Devil is gone, the sword of the archangel buried deep in his chest.

Around his body are faces Kyungsoo knows, faces he can never forget. His brothers being torn apart, pulled away from each other. Sehun is bleeding, Baekhyun crying next to him. Jongdae is screaming as Minseok is trapped behind an invisible barrier, unable to reach the only thing he ever needs to reach.

Pain is everywhere, exploding deep in his chest.

Somehow this is all his fault, he knows it. He’s the one who let the angel out, believing he would simply escape, end the torture in his eyes and in the pit of his stomach.

But the angel lays a trap for them. He brings other angels and emissaries, too many for Kyungsoo to fight on his own now that he has lost his only life line, half of his soul. Now that he has lost Jongin.

His fear and guilt are unbearable. He deserves this loneliness for what he’s done, deserves to be trapped in purgatory.

The angels have taken down the castle. It is burning before Kyungsoo’s eyes, the memories it holds burning along with it in his heart.

Being alone is terrible now. He has lost his bond to his master, lost the attachment to his brothers, lost the trust of the sword and the stone. He is well and truly alone because he has chosen the light, believed in the promise of an honorable sacrifice.

Kyungsoo doesn’t want honorable sacrifices. He wants the extravagant manor back with all its annoyingly scary inhabitants inside. He wants the king of Hell alive, fighting alongside him.

The nightmare is so very painful, a fever taking roots deep inside Kyungsoo until he can no longer breathe.

It is gone so suddenly.

Jongin is standing beside him, the snow falling in his hair and on his bronze skin. He is watching Kyungsoo with protective blood red eyes. He is there, right there for Kyungsoo to reach and touch. And he does. He reaches for the Devil with pain in his heart.

He takes it away, the pain, the loneliness, the fear. He takes it all away with the press of his fingers against Kyungsoo’s. _I’m sorry_ , he hears him say. _I’ll protect you from now on. I’ll protect you just as fiercely as you protected me._

It’s a promise, not a contract, not a deal or a pact. It’s given freely, demanding nothing in return.

Belief roars in Kyungsoo’s heart, in his bones and in the single press of skin against skin.

He’ll defend Jongin against armies, against God himself if he has to. He will never let him fall again, nor him, nor his world.

Kyungsoo does not want light. He never wants anything but the darkness standing beside him, walking the same ash desert, carrying the same pain and loneliness he is.

Together they will become invincible. Nothing will be able to stop them. Kyungsoo will make sure of this.


	12. Chapter 12

“You wield Durandal like a child, Do Kyungsoo. I’m surprised it hasn’t crushed you.”

Sehun stands a few feet apart, red silk shirt opened wide on his chest, his breath as steady as ever even though Kyungsoo and him just fought.

It’s unfair, especially since Kyungsoo knows he’s been improving significantly.

He still cannot touch Sehun. He’s been trying every single move, every single combination he has learned. It simply isn’t enough to defeat the fallen angel.

The sword feels different in his hands now, lighter, surer. It is beginning to work alongside him. At least that is what Kyungsoo thinks. Sehun doesn’t seem to agree.

He has been going harder on their training, forcing Kyungsoo to learn faster.

He’s back at hunting emissaries, the souls fueling his powers and helping him strike faster, stronger.

Still for Sehun it isn’t enough.

“You’re off balance,” he comments calmly as he blocks yet another useless attack from Kyungsoo. He pushes back, making Kyungsoo stumble backwards clumsily. “You need to use the weight of the sword as an advantage, not a liability.”

He strikes again, whirling around like a fucking tornado, bringing both swords down hard on Durandal. Flourish is Sehun’s little distraction, a trick Kyungsoo has learned to ignore. It is meant to impress the adversary, make him feel small and insignificant.

He kicks Sehun in the knee and frees Durandal, stepping to the side hastily to slide the blade through the other man’s arm. Sehun takes a step back and brings one sword to block the blade, the other reaching for Kyungsoo’s throat. The smaller man leans back, avoiding the blade by a mere centimeter before freeing his own sword and striking Sehun’s thigh.

The fallen angel’s footwork is impressive as he dodges and counter attacks, his movements as fluid as water.

“Three extra fucking kilos do not feel like an advantage,” Kyungsoo grits out, keeping the tip of Sehun’s sword from entering his eye. It slides dangerously close to his fingers, ready to cut them off the handle.

Sehun takes a step back, putting both swords down. “This is useless,” he turns towards Jongin who is sitting on the couch, watching them with a drink in his hand. “How did he even manage to _touch_ Chanyeol?”

The angel in question is downstairs with Baekhyun, his emotions a tangled mess doing nothing for Kyungsoo’s concentration.

Jongin chuckles and Kyungsoo frowns, angrily pointing his sword at Sehun. “How am I supposed to fight two swords at the same time?! It’s unfair.”

“Life is unfair,” Sehun comments with a raised brow. “And the number of sword isn’t the point. The problem is your speed. I could have killed you a hundred times if I wanted.”

Kyungsoo opens his eyes wide. “Are you shitting me?! I’ve been blocking every single one of your attacks!”

Sehun smiles contemptuously. “You think I’ve been attacking you? I have been _playing_ with you, Do Kyungsoo.”

The remark has Kyungsoo’s blood boiling in anger. How dare he say that? After hours and hours of training, how dare he say he is only _playing_?

Jongin laughs softly, eyes suddenly gleaming. He gets up and walks to Kyungsoo, palm extended.

“May I?” he asks and Kyungsoo gives him the sword reluctantly, feeling a little pull of ownership tug at his stomach. Jongin hands him his drink and Kyungsoo gulps down the rest of it.

The Devil comes to stand in front of Sehun with a smile. He designates the swords with a nod. “You want to show him how you really fight?”

Sehun takes the invitation with a smile, positioning himself.

“You might want to take a step back, Kyungsoo” Jongin advices and Kyungsoo listens, stepping clear off the training space.

Sehun and Jongin begin circling each other, Sehun twisting one sword in his hand without any effort. “How long has it been since you’ve wielded a sword, brother?” he asks defiantly.

Jongin’s smile brightens. “It’s been a while,” he playfully answers. “Let’s see if I still know how to use one.”

And then it begins.

At first it is too quick for Kyungsoo to understand, the attacks and counter-attacks being exchanged at vertiginous speed. Their bodies are blurred images, flashes of colors, red fighting black, black fighting silver. Kyungsoo has never seen anything like it.

Sehun was right. He was playing with him.

He moves in perfect synchronization with his swords, elegantly moving around like a dance, exploring the space and turning each change of pace to his advantage.

Jongin has a much different style. He strikes just as fast but it feels stronger, precise, passionate. He puts everything he has in every strike, an executioner true in its aim. Darkness whirls around him as he fights, emotions rolling like ocean waves, filling him completely as he dedicates himself to the task of striking down his adversary.

Sehun is detached in comparison. His face is an impervious mask, devoid of any feeling. He is focused completely, unforgiving and unrestrained.

They are both so oblivious to their surroundings they fail to notice the two other men stepping inside the room.

It takes Kyungsoo quite some time to notice them as well but when he does, he is unable to look away.

Something happens and he hears the noise of metal clinking on the floor. He turns around to see Sehun holding a blade to Jongin’s throat, another to his side where he has removed the blade from the Devil’s hand.

Something flares inside Kyungsoo. He itches with the need to grab his sword and stand between the two men.

The noise of their breathing is strong, Jongin smiling at Sehun with challenge in his eyes.

“And that is why I prefer guns.”

Sehun smirks and he removes his swords, stepping away. Jongin readjusts his suit and turns towards Kyungsoo with a smile.

It falls instantly when he sees who is standing beside him.

Baekhyun is here, but he’s not alone. Chanyeol is standing next to him.

The angel is looking at his brothers with round eyes, surprise clear in them. Baekhyun is smiling in contentment as if this is a normal situation.

“What the hell?” Sehun asks, eyes fixed on Chanyeol.

Jongin takes a step forward but Baekhyun raises an appeasing hand, stopping him with the same contented smile.

“He wanted to see the rest of his brothers,” he says.

Chanyeol is indeed starring at Sehun with the same disbelief he had in his eyes when he saw Baekhyun for the first time. Kyungsoo guesses Sehun must have changed as well.

There is a heavy silence as they watch each other. Kyungsoo goes to retrieve his sword on the ground, finally at peace feeling the weight of the handle in his hand.

“I am not sure this was a good idea, Baekhyun,” Jongin says sternly.

Baekhyun waves it off. “Jongin darling, do not worry. Chanyeol said he wouldn’t try anything.”

Chanyeol turns immediately towards Baekhyun and his expression changes, surprise gone, replaced by anger and bitterness.

“And you believe him?” Sehun asks, eyebrows raised.

Baekhyun rolls his eyes and he goes to pour himself a drink. Chanyeol looks hesitant, not moving but clearly desiring to do so.

“Do you want something, Chanyeollie?” Baekhyun asks happily and Chanyeol watches him with a frown, incomprehension clear on his face.

“Baekhyun, angels don’t drink,” Jongin remarks, fixing the cuff of his shirt. Baekhyun laughs “Of course, how could I have forgotten? Antony, bring the man a grenadine.”

Kyungsoo would laugh if he wasn’t so tense. Baekhyun is clearly making fun of the angel. Chanyeol seems to understand and he crosses his arms over his chest, brooding.

This is strange, to say the least.

The angel’s eyes fall on Kyungsoo and something softens in his gaze. He can feel the compassion in his soul, the human part still calling to him. Kyungsoo frowns, unable to understand how the angel can feel any sort of positive feeling towards the man who drove a sword through his chest.

Chanyeol continues to stare, missing Baekhyun coming closer with the angel’s drink in hand. He holds it for the other man to take and the angel grasps it without looking.

Their fingers touch.

Baekhyun yelps, stumbling backwards, pain vivid in his eyes.

The rest happens very fast.

Jongin moves closer in a heartbeat, so fast Kyungsoo barely understands how he could have noticed, let alone step in front of him, blocking his path. Sehun has moved as well, swords ready to strike.

Baekhyun holds out his hand in an appeasing gesture once again, telling them all to calm down without saying a word. The pain is still there, strong but diminishing with every passing second.

There is an angry black burn on his fingers where Chanyeol has touched him.

“It’s all right. It’s all right. He didn’t do it on purpose,” Baekhyun says. He looks at Chanyeol for confirmation and the other stares with utter confusion and something else. Regret.

He didn’t mean to do this. He is sorry for it.

Sehun lowers his swords, eyelid twitching. It helps Kyungsoo to remember exactly who is standing behind him.

He turns around, eyes ready to fight the Devil’s.

Jongin is looking at him with anger and displeasure. He is not happy at having been stopped.

Kyungsoo holds his eyes, making him understand exactly why he stopped him even though he didn’t know himself until after he did.

He didn’t do it to protect Chanyeol. He did it to protect him, protect Jongin.

_You can try me all you want_ , he tells with his eyes. _You are not getting any closer to him._

He doesn’t know where it’s coming from, the need to keep Jongin away from Chanyeol, but he doesn’t care. He isn’t going to risk having him within range of the angel. He can be angry all he wants and curse him for it, he is not going to move an inch until he is sure Jongin isn’t getting any closer.

Jongin frowns, unable to understand.

Kyungsoo doesn’t want to explain out loud so he tries something he’s never tried before. He forms clear thoughts in his head and pushes them towards Jongin, using the bond as a connecting line.

_He is dangerous._

Jongin’s eyes light up with the words, indicating he can hear Kyungsoo clearly. He still frowns however, words answering inside his head.

_I need to protect my brother._

Kyungsoo narrows his eyes, hoping his resolve is clear on his face.

_Baekhyun can handle his own. He doesn’t need your help._

Jongin narrows his eyes as well.

_He is hurt._

Kyungsoo rolls his.

_It was an accident. Chanyeol didn’t mean to hurt him, I felt it. Besides, if Baekhyun wanted, he could crush him without laying a hand on him._

Jongin looks confused.

_But…_

Kyungsoo pushes back with his mind.

_No but. You are staying here._

It feels weird, giving orders to the Devil himself. But Kyungsoo couldn’t care less. His heart and his head are telling him this is the right call. He is not moving until he has confirmation Jongin will not do something stupid.

He scans Kyungsoo’s eyes, and finally he nods, agreeing reluctantly.

Kyungsoo turns around, focusing back on the rest of the room. Sehun is giving his swords back to the footman, ignoring Baekhyun who is pocking him in the ribs repeatedly. They haven’t noticed the interaction between the Devil and his Soul Breaker.

Chanyeol has and he is watching them fixedly, sipping on his ridiculous drink. Kyungsoo warns him off with his eyes, but the taller doesn’t seem to understand. He waits for Kyungsoo to step away from the others before coming to talk to him.

“Why are you protecting him?” he asks seriously. “You’re still half human. You could come with me to Heaven. Leave this place forever.”

Kyungsoo climbs the stairs, Chanyeol following him up to the door of his room.

“You don’t have to work for him, Kyungsoo.”

The smaller man turns around with his eyes narrowed. This angel is annoying, almost as much as Baekhyun. No one can be as annoying as Baekhyun.

“First off, don’t call me Kyungsoo. We’re not friends, _angel_. Second, I do not want to come to Heaven with you so back off and leave me the fuck alone.”

He opens his door and Chanyeol follows him inside, not an ounce of restraint. “But you cannot possibly want to stay _here_?”

Kyungsoo sheathes his sword with a sight. “And what if I do? What are you gonna do about it?”

Chanyeol’s eyes are round with surprise and he struggles to speak. Dear, does he ever shut up?!

“What part of leave me alone did you not understand? Out!” he says while designating the door.

Chanyeol hesitates, turns to the door, opens it, steps outside, inside again.

“Out!” Kyungsoo repeats. “Oh, and watch yourself around Baekhyun, _angel_. I’ll trap you inside the stone again if you hurt him.”

Chanyeol takes a fearful step back, voice trembling and honestly a tad ridiculous to Kyungsoo’s ears. “It was an accident!”

“Does it look like I care? You’ve been warned. Now out!”

Chanyeol is confused as he closes the door, naïve as ever. The Soul Breaker wasn’t wrong, he is indeed a child.

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

It turns out there is someone more annoying than Baekhyun, Kyungsoo learns.

Now that he is out of his cell, Chanyeol follows Kyungsoo everywhere, clinging to the only light he can find in this place.

He watches the training sessions, eats sited close to him, comes with him to his room, steps in and stays until Kyungsoo quicks him out with threats.

He is beginning to understand why the others straight up ignore him.

His reintroduction to Jongdae and Minseok was eventful, Jongdae threatening to kill him where he stood. He would have done so if it hadn’t been for Minseok and Baekhyun reminding him of the situation. They need information, information to later exact their revenge upon the angels. It calms Jongdae down, but he avoids the angel all day long and never talks to him over dinner.

It is weird, having the same dynamic between the brothers with an intruder watching them silently. It makes Kyungsoo feel like everything isn’t in its rightful place, like Chanyeol somehow upsets the balance of Kyungsoo’s own little world.

It hasn’t been that long but somehow, he has gotten used to the rhythm of his life here. He does his job during the day and gets to enjoy the evenings as a bystander. Now he is forced to watch Chanyeol and support his constant remarks and interruptions. It doesn’t help that the angel waits every day for him to come back from the hunt with betrayal in his eyes as Kyungsoo carries yet another of the emissaries’ souls.

The manor gets used to Chanyeol’s presence however, and Kyungsoo soon understands why Baekhyun took him upstairs to live with them.

Chanyeol is feeling happy to be reunited with his family, enjoying the moments he gets to spend in their company. He is still scarred of Jongin, but his interest in Baekhyun is growing stronger every day.

He is following his every interaction with the brothers, eyes staring, unable to look away as he brushes Sehun’s hair back, clings to his arm or plays with him until the younger gets annoyed and leaves him. His insides flair when he calls Jongin affectionately or welcomes a demon back inside the house with gleaming eyes and visible interest. He watches when he comes downstairs late for dinner, fixing his hair or suit after an obvious shag session.

It’s like an obsession, only Chanyeol doesn’t realize it.

He is slowly but unmistakably falling into Baekhyun’s trap.


	13. Chapter 13

Jongin is pacing the floor impatiently. The Soul Breaker watches him from the couch, Sehun sited next to him, a book in his hands. One of his brows is raised as his eyes follow the endless turns. Sehun seems annoyed, sighting as he fails to concentrate on the text. Finally, he snaps, huffing angrily.

“Would you stop doing that, it’s getting on my nerves.”

Minseok is standing on the side, arms crossed and head shaking as he watches Jongdae run after Baekhyun who has stolen his freshly made cocktail, his laugh joining in with Jongdae’s whines. Chanyeol is watching as well from a corner, arms crossed over his chest and eyes following them. There is the ghost of a smile playing on his lips.

Jongin feels the bubbling excitement in his veins as he waits and waits. It’s been way too long since he’s seen his baby.

The door opens and finally, his demon Fan is here.

He stops and crouches, opening his arms wide. The black dog at her feet sees him and immediately bolts forward, pulling on his leash strongly. Fan lets him lose and he runs directly to Jongin, jumping right in his arms and beginning to happily lap his face.

Jongin laughs with delight, scratching the dog as happily, feeling complete with the exciting presence of his hound.

“Disgusting,” he hears Minseok comments on the side.

He laughs and gets up, the dog jumping on him to get his whole attention back. Jongin gives it willingly. He wouldn’t have much of a choice otherwise, seeing how the dog is practically his size.

Baekhyun and Jongdae come to welcome it back as well and the hound dances around them as happily. Minseok pats it on the head reluctantly and Sehun gives it one of his rare smiles as he does the same.

The hound stops when he sees Kyungsoo. They stare at each other, red eyes meeting chocolate brown. Jongin comes to crouch by the dog’s side, putting one hand on its back to keep it calm.

“Cerberus, this is Kyungsoo,” he says and the dog turns its three heads towards him, the six red eyes asking for permission to make acquaintance with this new thing inside its house.

Jongin nods.

The hound approaches Kyungsoo carefully, Kyungsoo watching him with something strange in his eyes. Something Jongin hasn’t seen there before.

Softly, the Soul Breaker rests a hand on the middle head and caresses the black fur. The head sticks out its tongue while the two others push against Kyungsoo’s legs affectionately.

Something strange happens. Kyungsoo smiles and his voice is infinitely softer when he speaks. “Hello, Cerberus.”

What is this? Why is this little show affecting Jongin so much?

The hound laps Kyungsoo’s hand one last time and returns to Jongin’s side, trotting happily. He scratches its neck, eyes meeting Kyungsoo’s. He is watching the Devil tenderly.

It makes Jongin stare, suddenly aware of the others’ presence in the room. He doesn’t want them to see this. He wants to keep the Soul Breaker’s expression for himself and himself only. He never wants to see that expression directed at anyone but him.

It’s gone quickly, but it stays strong in Jongin’s mind.

Cerberus suddenly starts growling, heads turned to the side. It is starring at the angel in the corner, angel smiling to the dog like it’s the cutest thing he’s ever seen.

Cerberus is far from cute. It strikes fear in the hearts of man and heavenly creature alike. But of course, Chanyeol would like it. That idiot.

It growls as the angel gets closer and Jongin rests a hand on its heads again, reassuring it. The angel turns his eyes to Jongin’s and he stops, understanding he isn’t to come any closer if he wants to keep his soul intact.

Dinner is a delicacy for Jongin. Cerberus rests at his feet, one head perked up towards Baekhyun who feeds it secretly thinking Jongin doesn’t notice. The two other heads sleep contently on Jongin’s feet.

The dog has been working for a while, torturing a human particularly unafraid, enjoying Jongin’s usual torture methods. He had to use the dog instead. For months Cerberus has been gone, until earlier today when he was told by Fan it had driven the man crazy and could come back home.

Now it’s resting soundly, happy to be back to its master’s side.

Once dinner is over, Jongin goes outside to play with it.

Kyungsoo comes along after a while. He is wearing Durandal on his shoulder. He has been carrying it around to get used to the weight, as instructed by Sehun. He really is getting better with the sword, even if he is still no match to any of them.

He stands by Jongin silently, watching him throw the hound a bone, head fighting between each other to catch it first.

“It has your eyes,” Kyungsoo says quietly and Jongin smiles.

They are quiet for a while before Kyungsoo speaks again. “Chanyeol is ready. I can feel it.”

Jongin throws the bone and turns towards him, suddenly serious. Kyungsoo is still watching the dog run. His face is exposed to the sky, moon rays glowing beautifully on his skin. Jongin aches to touch.

“Baekhyun was right to bring him here. He will talk,” Kyungsoo adds.

He finally turns around and Jongin nods. They stare at each other like they usually do, except tonight is different. There isn’t animosity in Kyungsoo’s eyes. He is surprisingly opened, emotions visible.

It’s almost like he’s letting Jongin see through the calm lake, deeper, where lies the truth of Do Kyungsoo’s life.

The emotions there are different than before. He is no longer feeling the aching loneliness he was feeling before. It has been replaced with purpose, determination, affection.

Affection towards his brothers.

Jealousy flares difficultly in Jongin’s chest. He wants to hold this affection. He wants his brothers nowhere near that emotion.

He searches Kyungsoo’s head, but he isn’t there. He is purpose, duty, but he isn’t anything else.

It strikes inside of him, deeper than he thought.

Kyungsoo’s eyes tell a different story, and Jongin suspects Kyungsoo isn’t showing him everything, not yet.

But he wants everything. He is tired of waiting, of wanting.

He reaches forwards, hand mere centimeters from Kyungsoo’s skin. He stops at the last moment, blood singing.

Kyungsoo searches his eyes, a new vulnerability to them. He waits for endless seconds that feel like eternity until finally finally finally he steps forward.

He lets Jongin’s fingers press against his skin.

The burning sensation is there immediately but Kyungsoo does not close his eyes, does not succumb, and Jongin is almost disappointed.

Almost, because he discovers what lays there is better than surrender in so many ways.

The stone takes away the pain, takes away the unavoidable aggressive temptation of the Devil’s touch. What is left is _his_ touch and only _his_ touch.

The burn however, is on his side, on Jongin’s side. Because Kyungsoo is not giving in, he is standing his ground, defying the Devil to look deeper, to not solely take but give, just as much as Kyungsoo is willing to give.

And it is burning Jongin with the intensity of chocolate brown eyes and warm skin. It is burning Jongin with the press of skin against skin, burning him with the beauty lying there, underneath the cold façade.

Jongin is in Kyungsoo’s head, but he is also in his heart where there are no brothers to compete with him, no angel to encourage light over darkness.

There is only the Devil himself.

The Soul Breaker is afraid, afraid he will lose him to this quest, afraid he will lose him to his revenge. He will not prevent it, never will pretend to understand it, will fight alongside him whether he asks or not, but it is with fear of a burning intensity.

Jongin steps closer, pain everywhere inside and outside. It is terrible but it is delicious, so different from the pain he’s used to feel.

He is no longer alone, someone is walking with him.

“Kyungsoo…” it’s a whisper, a prayer for the other only to hear.

His Soul Breaker watches him with undying loyalty and flaring trust. His eyes are serious, more in control than Jongin can ever feel, especially touching him.

He stands too close for his own good now but he cannot help the pull in his stomach and the delicious pain in his heart.

Caution is nothing, caution is useless for him. He does not risk anything. He _wants_ to lose himself to this.

Kyungsoo reaches for him, fingers coming to rest over his heart, feeling the darkness curling there possessively. His lips, full, beautiful, human skin coming to ghost over Jongin’s skin, marking him as surely as red iron.

“They will not take you away from me. I will not let them,” Kyungsoo whispers and it has Jongin moan painfully.

He wants to draw blood from this human, taste him in his mouth.

He has been so alone for so long, and now he has found someone to share his loneliness.

They are both selfish, both wanting the other for themselves first. They cannot want for the other solely. They can no longer abandon their selves, forgetting their needs to the presence of the other. They are each other’s because they are themselves’ first.

Jongin reaches for Kyungsoo, his hand gripping the head of the smaller, the caress of his too short hair tickling his palm. He looks furiously in his eyes, forcing him to understand. He knows he must look scary like this, devastating want tainting his eyes redder than they usually are, blood stronger, liquid rage as he wills the other man to understand.

But Kyungsoo does not look afraid. He is as defiant, as unchanged in his will to stand up to the Devil himself. He will take him down as surely as if he was anyone else.

Were they to betray each other, it would end in blood.

“Do you know how long I’ve been searching for you?” he asks, voice painfully low, exposed, raw. He doesn’t want the other to see him like this and yet he _needs_ him to see.

Kyungsoo says nothing. His fingertips come to rest against Jongin’s lips, willing him to stop and never to stop at the same time.

“What about the others?” Kyungsoo asks darkly, possessively.

Jongin speaks against Kyungsoo’s fingers next, his hot breath wetting the tip in a delirious fashion, leaving him almost trembling with lust. This is nothing, and yet it is the most sexually intimate gesture he’s ever shared with anyone.

“They were nothing. Insignificant.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes flare, the same fire burning Jongin burning in them.

“And what am I?” Kyungsoo asks again, denying Jongin of his touch, his hand falling back to his side.

He steps closer, invading the other’s space. It might be too early but he does not care. He does not want to care. He just wants.

“You are mine,” he growls “And you are yours.” He leans over Kyungsoo, breath caressing his lips, torturing in his turn.

“You are everything,” he says and Kyungsoo closes his eyes, letting his head fall to rest against Jongin’s.

They do not kiss. They do not need to. This is stronger than physical want, stronger than the illusion humans call love. It’s neither, it is a bond of another dimension, a bond unbreakable and stronger, always and forever, passing and fleeting, here and gone, everywhere and nowhere to be seen. Built on nothing, built on everything.

They stay like that for how long, they do not know. Cerberus has come to rest at their feet, quiet and respectful. They form quite the trio, a ridiculous vision of darkness enthralled in the moonlight.

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Chanyeol screams.

This is not pain, it’s bliss, it’s as far from pain as it gets.

Baekhyun, Baekhyun is all around him. His scent, his taste, his touch. He is. He is.

How could Chanyeol have denied himself this before? How could he have ignored this feeling? What even is this?

“Am I not beautiful like this, Chanyeol?” Baekhyun asks, naked under him, lips murmuring against his. Chanyeol is losing himself but he cannot seem to stop.

“You are. You’ve always been,” he answers truthfully.

Angels cannot lie. And he cannot lie to himself any longer.

“You are beautiful yourself, so beautiful,” Baekhyun murmurs to him, fingers tracing his jaw and Chanyeol wants to kiss him for all eternity, wants to forget himself inside of him, forget they were ever apart.

“Save me, Baekhyun. Please, save me,” he asks, he begs against his lips.

But Baekhyun doesn’t answer. Instead he screams.

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Jongin hears it, the deafening sound, the pain.

Baekhyun. Baekhyun is in pain.

He breaks apart from Kyungsoo, rushes past the door, runs up the stairs. The door of Baekhyun’s room is broken. Sehun is there, standing frozen.

Chanyeol has Baekhyun trapped against him, caging him in his arms. His hand is on Baekhyun’s neck.

He is burning him.

“Let me go.” His eyes are mad, blue so pale they seem white. He is shaking, hard. “Let me go,” he repeats.

Baekhyun is not saying anything, withstanding the pain with stormy eyes, brave and strong despite the unbearable sensation.

He wants Jongin to let him do this. He wants to do this.

“Chanyeol,” he manages to say. His throat is turning darker and darker with the burn of light. “Chanyeol, you are hurting me.”

“Stop this, please. This… _want_. Make it go away,” Chanyeol asks again. He sounds insane, vision clouded by a memory, a sensation.

“I can’t, Chanyeol. It is my curse. I can never let it go,” Baekhyun answers.

Chanyeol doesn’t see, he is not seeing what he is doing. “I have to leave. I have to go back. You know I have to go back.”

He is going to cry, Jongin dreadfully realizes. He cannot. Angel tears are the worst for them. He will _melt_ Baekhyun if he does.

But still Baekhyun holds.

“You can stay here with us. With me.”

Chanyeol lets out a pained cry. “I am weak, Baekhyun. I am weak and no one needs me. You don’t need me. My brothers don’t need me. But the human world needs me.”

He looks up and stares at Jongin. “I’ve called him countless times. I’ve called father but he doesn’t answer.”

“He never does,” Jongin says. “Don’t you think we all tried? We tried before we fell. He didn’t answer. He doesn’t need us. He doesn’t need broken things.”

Chanyeol is torn between shock and despair. “We are his children,” he fights.

“We are nothing to him. Tools to fight his wars. Servants to his humans. Creations we despise.”

Chanyeol closes his eyes. He is still hurting Baekhyun and Jongin cannot take this any longer. He needs to stop this.

But Baekhyun warns him off, pain burning bright in his eyes but steady.

“We don’t despise you, Chanyeol. We love you. I love you.”

It’s a lie. They are uncapable of love. What they feel is darker than love. And yet, yet it rings true to Jongin’s ears. Can Baekhyun still feel love? Can he still tell the difference? Jongin doubts it. But perhaps he is wrong. Perhaps his brother is different.

The confession has Chanyeol looking up, focused so suddenly. “I dreamed…” he starts but doesn’t finish.

“I know,” Baekhyun reassures him. “I know. But Chanyeol, you need to stop this. You are hurting me.”

It seems to wake the angel. He releases Baekhyun and looks up to see the burn. It is terrible, spread on smooth pale skin like twisted fire, black flames of buried want and need. Chanyeol looks horrified.

What happens next is unimaginable to Jongin. But he guesses there are no rules. That’s what makes Hell Hell.

Baekhyun rushes to Chanyeol, back to his body, back in his space. He holds his eyes as he takes his hand, burning himself again.

“Baekhyun stop,” Sehun warns this time, stepping closer. But Baekhyun isn’t listening. His eyes are on Chanyeol, his whole attention there.

The angel is looking paler by the second, his eyes terribly guilty as he watches the burn spread.

“Baekhyun please stop,” he asks, trying to retrieve his hand but the other doesn’t let him.

“You can fix this. You can heal me,” Baekhyun’s voice is softer now, a soothing balm. He looks Chanyeol in the eyes, pain mixing with belief. “You were created for this, Chanyeol. It is your purpose. You heal. You can heal me.”

Chanyeol is focused on him, solely on him. There is nothing else, nothing but Baekhyun’s words. “Do it for yourself, Chanyeol. Heal me.”

And Chanyeol, Chanyeol believes him. His hand lays on Baekhyun’s neck again and he closes his eyes, tears rolling so perfectly, pearls of clarity.

The black burn suddenly retracts, pulling back into Chanyeol’s touch. He takes Baekhyun’s pain in compassion, he takes Baekhyun’s pain in love.

And Baekhyun lets him, watches the man instead of the miracle happening on his skin.

It is true, then. Baekhyun really does love him.

He touches the angel’s skin, fingers ghosting over his face. Chanyeol opens his eyes and they are bright blue, brighter than they ever were.

“Goodbye, brother,” Baekhyun whispers and Chanyeol shines, shines so bright he blinds them all.

He is gone now. Leaving the darkness to fill in the emptiness he left. Baekhyun is staring into nothingness, eyes turning to look past Jongin with a smile.

“Thank you,” he says to whoever he is looking at and Jongin doesn’t understand until Baekhyun lays eyes on him.

“I know how to get past the barrier.”

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

As soon as Jongin bolts out, Kyungsoo follows him. His heart is racing furiously with fear. The pain he can feel is coming from Chanyeol. It is pouring out like liquid hurt, blinding in its intensity.

The horror Kyungsoo soon realizes isn’t in Chanyeol’s pain, it’s in Baekhyun’s.

They fight for comfort even though they bring each other the most terrible scars.

Baekhyun doesn’t ask, he doesn’t voice it but Kyungsoo knows what he has to do. He sees as Chanyeol heals a fallen angel, something _impossible_.

He lets Chanyeol’s soul go.

And in exchange, Chanyeol tells them how to get past the barrier. He doesn’t realize it. He doesn’t _know_. Somehow this is all thanks to Baekhyun’s trick.

Except it isn’t a trick. It was never a trick. He felt everything, meant everything he said.

There is a bond that cannot be broken between the two of them. Not passion, but pure, undying love. Baekhyun feels it too, however tainted. The part of him that is light feels it still.

Baekhyun loves like he loved when he fell, wanting for more than just this. He wants, but he will not demand this of Chanyeol.

He pushes, but in the end he lets go because it’s not what Chanyeol wants. And like Baekhyun told Kyungsoo a long time ago, he never takes what the other doesn’t want to give.

But that love, that gesture, it opens Chanyeol’s mind. The trust he places in Baekhyun tears down the walls in his head and when the fallen angel touches him, even if it does derive from need, it also lets him see everything, see the answer to all their questions.

Jongin can cross. He can cross along with the Soul Breaker.

It is such an obvious answer, and yet it is unexpected. Because Jongin has tried before, has suffered horribly to fail.

Only now he can share that suffering. Kyungsoo can take on his burden as he crosses. He knows he can.

And as Jongin turns to ask him, not demanding, not commanding, Kyungsoo answers he will.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo...  
> This is the end of part 2, I hope you all liked it ;)  
> Part 3 coming real soon, promise. It's the only part I haven't finished writing so it might take a little longer. There will also be more touching, cuz we all want more touching let's be honest ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)  
> I want to thank every single one of you who has clicked to read, left kudos or comments. You guys are the best and freaking fucking amazing <3  
> Special mention to Dontmindme, zyxyeol, AlicAlrres, Dantella (your comments are giving me lifeeeeee), and Leena-k (hon, you're killing me with those comments I love you so much! XD) <3 <3 <3  
> See you all very soon! (Anything you guys don't understand in the fic, don't hesitate to ask, I'll be happy to explain)


	14. Chapter 14

PART 3

Whatever lies in between

 

They use what they imagine Chanyeol’s chaotic return to be as an advantage, a distraction to go get the sword.

Kyungsoo stands next to Jongin, silent in the elevator. He can almost taste Jongin’s thrill of anticipation, almost feel the need he has for the sword.

He wears his own sword, strapped to his back in what has become a reassuring presence. Durandal is quiet for now, resting darkly but peacefully. The stone on his neck is as quiet, filled with less power than when it held the angel’s soul.

Kyungsoo waits patiently for the doors to open. He knows what will happen when they do and although he dreads it, he is used to keeping his calm and composure facing imminent discomfort.

Prison wasn’t exactly a picnic in the park.

Sun hits his skin, blinding him as surely as every time he steps out of the elevator to kill. Today is different however. Today is about stealing, not killing.

Jongin’s face immediately falls, a barest second of raw pain before he stills it into a mask. There’s nothing Kyungsoo can do for him now. He has to get through this if he really wants the sword.

They are near the cenote, a ten-minute walk. It is deep inside the earth, water heard from above, life under the earth true and undisturbed.

It’s about to change.

Kyungsoo can feel the barrier almost as clearly as he can feel everything. It’s invisible, but it is undeniable there. And so is Jongin’s pain.

He has his teeth gritted, eyes dark but set on their goal. It is today or never.

They bring themselves closer to the edge. There are stone stairs there, a brute force, rising from the entrails of the earth. They take the first step together.

The barrier is close, fighting them. The second step is harder than the first, the third almost impossible. Durandal is singing its dark steel song and Kyungsoo draws it out, feeling the pressure of the air against the blade. He cuts down the barrier.

It’s almost a scream, like a living breathing thing before him. He tears it mercilessly, Durandal singing happily as it works. Kyungsoo trusts the blade to do the job and it thanks him by slashing through light. It is getting used to darkness it seems.

The moment the barrier falls, he hears Jongin take a deep breath. He turns to see him cross the line, breaching a world he left behind a long time ago.

They walk down the rest of the stairs and stand on the ground of the cave.

It is beautiful, sun gleaming on the blue green water, vegetation hanging from the top and curling around the edges to fit the strange shape of the cavity. Deep in the water is the sword, gleaming in all its golden glory. Durandal is proud facing it, acknowledging a worthy adversary.

Kyungsoo sheathes back the blade and removes the sword completely. He takes off his boots, coming near the edge.

“What are you doing?” Jongin asks, voice strained.

His face is pale, his eyes retracted. He is dealing with the pain silently, the Soul Breaker’s presence indispensable to help him withstand the light here. He would simply be crushed if he was on his own, he knows it.

“Someone needs to go get this thing,” He designates the sword and Jongin watches it with wanting eyes. Kyungsoo frowns but he turns around and, taking a final breath, he dives.

The water is cold, colder than he imagined. It is suffocating with brightness, light coming from the sword in waves, pushing a part of Kyungsoo away, drawing another part closer. He focuses on this part, letting it guide him as he grabs the sheath and comes back to the surface to breathe. He swims to the shore and brings himself up. Jongin stands there, waiting, and Kyungsoo throws him the sword.

He catches it with a small smile.

Kyungsoo watches as he examines the weapon: golden handle, incrusted pearls and bones of saints. It feels dangerous and all consuming. Kyungsoo doesn’t like it.

He puts his boots and Durandal back on, climbing back up the stairs, eager to get as far away from this place as quickly as possible.

Jongin drags behind, eyes consumed by the sword, pain temporally forgotten. Kyungsoo lets him. He knows he’s been waiting for this for a long time.

He is a watchful figure when they take the elevator. The brothers are waiting for them when they arrive, and their eyes ask the only question there is to ask.

“It’s done,” Kyungsoo answers and he is gone.

Exhaustion has settled in his bones and he needs to rest.

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

It is there, in his hands. He is holding his brother’s sword.

God’s archangel’s sword.

How long has he been waiting for this moment? How long has he planned this, envisioned and dreamed about it?

His revenge, his revenge is going to be beautiful.


	15. Chapter 15

Cerberus’ growl wakes Kyungsoo up and he stands, gun drawn. The hound sleeping at his feet calms down instantly as its master pets its heads, red eyes on Kyungsoo.

“Are you planning on killing me with this?” Jongin asks with a chuckle and Kyungsoo puts the gun away, laying back down.

“Maybe,” he answers as he closes his eyes, ready to go back to sleep. “What do you want?” he asks impatiently.

Jongin is quiet for some time. He almost wakes Kyungsoo back up when he speaks next. “You’re angry with me.”

Kyungsoo opens his eyes and sights. He thinks about what to tell him, whether to say the truth, speak his mind. Jongin must feel his annoyance because he stands and comes to sit closer to him. Kyungsoo does not turn to look at him. He speaks to the ceiling, voice tight.

“This sword… It’s a curse, Jongin. I felt it when I touched it. It’s only going to bring you pain.”

The answer is unexpected. “For a Soul Breaker, you are quite the sensitive little thing.”

He turns sharp eyes towards the Devil. “Fuck you,” he vehemently throws before laying on his side, his back to Jongin.

The Devil chuckles and there is a second of raw emptiness in Kyungsoo’s heart before he feels the bed dip beside him, strong arms coming to turn him around.

He tries to pull away angrily but Jongin tightens his hold. Kyungsoo throws his elbow back into the other man’s ribs, causing him to instantly release him. He goes to sit at the other end of the bed, throwing a vengeful look at the Devil.

Jongin is smiling, the bastard, rubbing the spot where Kyungsoo has hit him. “From where I’m sitting, you’re the one hurting me right now.”

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes at the cheeky remark and lays back against the headset. Cerberus comes to rest between his legs, probably sensing his discomfort. Kyungsoo lets his hands comb through the soft black fur, thoughts elsewhere.

“Cerberus, as much as I adore you, I’m going to need you to move,” Jongin’s voice is soft but firm and the dog moves back at the end of the bed obediently.

Kyungsoo turns to see Jongin elegantly contour the bed to come sit by his side, eyes gleaming in the darkness. He is watching him intently.

“I thought you wanted to fight,” he says and Kyungsoo frowns. “I do. I will. It’s not about that.”

“Then what do you expect of me?” he asks.

It pisses Kyungsoo off. “I… Fuck, I’m not good with sentiment, Jongin. You know what I meant.”

He meets the Devil’s eyes head on. They are as beautiful as ever, blood red, dark pupils blown wide. Kyungsoo can’t seem to stop starring at them, doesn’t seem to want to stop. When has this become his world, the color of those eyes? Has he fallen so low he expects those eyes to listen to anything he tells them? Is he so weak he thinks he can control the Devil himself?

“You are scarred you are going to lose me like you lost them,” Jongin remarks, eyes stern.

Kyungsoo’s frown deepens. The other man doesn’t get it. At all.

“No,” he answers firmly “My family has nothing to do with this.”

It surprises Jongin and compels Kyungsoo to explain, to make himself clear.

“I don’t want you to feel pain, Jongin. I don’t want you to suffer. I know you want revenge, I understand, better than you think. But there are things you won’t be able to control up there. You could lose your brothers, lose yourself…”

He wants to reach out, but he wields himself not to. This isn’t a game. He needs Jongin to understand.

“May I show you something?” he asks Kyungsoo and the other man nods.

He gets up and starts removing his jacket, unbuttoning his shirt. Kyungsoo cannot reign the feeling of absolute want taking over him. It unleashes darkly at the sight of the bronze expanse of skin. He wants to touch but he doesn’t. He waits for Jongin to show him what he wants to show.

He takes off the shirt completely, muscles well defined on his chest. He watches the Soul Breaker with gleaming eyes before he turns around, showing his back to him.

Kyungsoo gasps.

A deep wound twists the skin apart there, purple and black, set in the most horrible way. It starts from his shoulder, drawing across his back in a long line, angrily curling on itself, ripples of darkness spilling onto the color of his skin.

It should repel Kyungsoo but it doesn’t. Instead, he gets up instantly and his hand ghosts over the wound. He doesn’t know why but he feels pain in the pit of his stomach, a pull so strong it makes him want to cry.

What the fuck is this feeling? He’s never felt this before. It invades his insides, settling in his heart. It is dark, untamed, unchecked rage. Wrath towards whomever has _dared_ do this to Jongin.

He is going to kill them.

Jongin turns around, eyes trapping his instantly. They watch each other silently until he whispers “You understand now, why I have to go? Why I cannot leave this be?”

Kyungsoo understands. He doesn’t like it, but he understands.

He nods and Jongin relaxes. He takes a step forward, coming closer, closer than he should ever be for Kyungsoo’s sanity.

“Why are you not afraid of it?” he asks and Kyungsoo’s eyebrows shoot up. “Why would I be afraid of it?”

Jongin wrinkles his nose in this cute manner he has. “It is quite… distasteful to look at.”

Kyungsoo is stunned, angry because _what the fuck_ honestly.

He rolls his eyes and shakes his head. “As if you were anywhere near distasteful to look at.”

It surprises Jongin, which angers Kyungsoo even more. Whomever told him this clearly must have been blind.

Jongin watches him now with burning eyes and Kyungsoo gazes back like an idiot, standing there, in the middle of his room.

He finds himself frozen on the spot by Jongin’s voice. “You’re still touching me, Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo shouldn’t. He shouldn’t but he can’t stop. He brings his chest against the taller man’s, fingers trailing over the scar in his back, his other hand coming to rest over his stomach. He pushes his lips against Jongin’s jaw and whispers, as infinitely as a million curses “Do you want me to stop touching you?”

There is a guttural sound coming from Jongin. He lowers his lips and they ghost over Kyungsoo’s. His arms come to circle the other’s waist and he whispers in his ear in his turn, breath hot over Kyungsoo’s skin “I am going to make you fall apart, Do Kyungsoo, like I should have done when we first met, like I wanted to do on that prison table.”

Kyungsoo shivers, his cock hardening with the words, the images. He feels Jongin’s hands trail down and he lets them, lets the impossible sin draw down over his navel, over his waist line, inside his boxers.

Skin on skin, finally.

He moans, irrepressible. How can he escape the Devil? Why would he ever want to escape this feeling?

Jongin caresses him painfully slow, fingernails trailing over his veins, thumb rolling over his shaft. Kyungsoo breathes heavily against his jaw, teeth biting the bone, leaving what will probably be purple marks in the morning.

The sensation has Kyungsoo drowning. The heat, a pull in his stomach, making his balls tighten with every pump, cock harder than ever now under the Devil’s touch.

“Jongin…” he calls. He steadies his voice and reaches for the other’s lips, breathing against him “Kiss me.”

It’s an order and the Devil complies, hand still stroking languidly. He kisses the smaller, but contrarily to everything, it is nothing slow. It is burning passion, hunger and anger, all-consuming as he _wrecks_ Kyungsoo. His hand suddenly starts pumping faster, long strokes that make Kyungsoo almost trip over himself, a moaning mess under the other’s fingertips.

“Fuck me, Jongin,” he asks, unashamed, eyes darker than they’ve ever been, matching black pupils watching him with as much want.

Jongin pushes him on the bed. He tears off Kyungsoo’s clothes like they are nothing, gone as quickly as dust in the wind.

Kyungsoo reaches for Jongin’s pants, unfastening them, eager to see him. The Devil complies. Leaving all his clothes behind, standing gloriously naked in front of Kyungsoo. He is painfully beautiful: well defined arms, abs of steel, bronze golden skin, raven black hair.

Darkness doesn’t even begin to describe the black feeling curling inside Kyungsoo at the sight of this god standing there, his cock as hard and attentive as his, as excited and desiring as Kyungsoo. He wants him inside, _now_.

Jongin attacks his mouth again, a predator taking pleasure in pulling the Soul Breaker apart with every kiss, every touch. He fingers Kyungsoo slick with spit while he takes his nipples into his mouth, sucks on every single parch of sensitive skin he can find. He puts in a second finger and has Kyungsoo rocking against him, mouth apart, Jongin’s tongue lapping his Adam’s apple. He feels so alive, so hot and sensible, pleasure quickening the pace of his heart, the rush of his blood downstairs.

The third finger is agony. A delicious agony singing in his veins as he reaches for Jongin’s cock, grasping it tightly, eyes barely able to focus on his.

“Jongin, I swear to god, you… need… to… put it in me.”

“How much do you want it, human? Tell me,” the Devil asks, scissoring him so perfectly Kyungsoo feels like he is going to come undone right there and then.

But no, he wants Jongin inside of him and what Do Kyungsoo wants, Do Kyungsoo gets.

He flips them over, surprise giving Jongin no time to react as he straddles the other man.

There is infinite silence as he impales himself on Jongin’s thick cock.

He can barely breathe, overcome with the feeling, the sensation of his walls quivering around Jongin, his skin dancing with fire where Jongin has left his marks.

He looks up and his world trips, falls, fails.

Jongin is watching him with eyes as black as night, a red thin rim around them. He stares at Kyungsoo with so much fire the smaller can practically taste the ashes in his mouth. He rocks slowly and has to stop because this is all too much, Jongin’s cock buried deep in his ass, Jongin’s eyes devouring him, Jongin’s hair falling all over his face like a young debauched god.

Just as suddenly as he had done it, Jongin flips them over again and he pushes their bodies together, so close Kyungsoo can barely breathe.

Jongin snaps his hips and the Soul-Breaker almost screams, pleasure taking over pain now that he is used to the intrusion, to the delicious, infuriating sensation of Jongin’s skin inside of him.

His rhythm is unforgiving, driving Kyungsoo mercilessly, mouth and teeth leaving worst marks. He never seems to tire, never seems to stop. The obscene sounds of flesh snapping against flesh cannot obliterate Kyungsoo’s moans of pleasure and Jongin’s breathless words.

“Mine,” is all he says, over and over again, like a mad man.

He handles Kyungsoo so perfectly, so _good_ , the other man suddenly finds himself ready to cum under him.

“Jongin… Jongin, I’m…”

But the Devil doesn’t let him finish, pumps his dick with his hand whiles he drives at frightening speed through Kyungsoo’s walls.

“Let me taste you, Kyungsoo. Let me take you,” Jongin growls and Kyungsoo can only comply, can only accept as he no longer thinks straight.

And so, when Kyungsoo didn’t think the Devil could do anything better or worse, Jongin does the unthinkable.

He takes Kyungsoo in his mouth, sucking as aggressively as he snaps his hips. He’s bending in an inhuman form but Kyugnsoo doesn’t care. He looks down and meets the dark red and black blown out pupils and lets it all take him over.

He cums shouting Jongin’s name and Jongin tastes him, taking all of him in his mouth.

He snaps inside faster until he cums himself, leaving Kyungsoo’s cock for his mouth. The smaller man can taste himself, bitter but intoxicating mixed with the Devil’s sent.

He feels alive, so alive with Jongin still inside of him, kissing him perfectly, his hot skin under Kyungsoo’s hands, his hair falling over Kyungsoo’s face.

“Kyungsoo,” Jongin whispers, breathless. His eyes are soft, infinitely softer than before.

Kyungsoo feels softer himself even though he aches all over, especially where Jongin’s hands have gripped his waist, bruises sure to appear.

He did let the Devil fuck him, after all.

He breathes him in shamelessly, closing his eyes as his nose brushes the taller’s shoulder.

“You smell so good,” he tells Jongin, letting the fog in his mind speak for him. Jongin pecks his lips and Kyungsoo opens his eyes to watch him. His eyes are everything, so intense and full of emotion, back to the regular red Kyungsoo loves.

“What is it?” he asks the other man.

The Devil comes to caress the side of his face, looking suddenly concerned.

“I… I don’t know. I’ve never felt… this,” Jongin answers. He pulls out of the smaller and rolls on the side gracefully.

Kyungsoo winces but he says nothing, reaching for Jongin and rolling his eyes when the other looks at him dumbfoundedly.

“Come on, have you never cuddled after sex?” Kyungsoo asks and Jongin shakes his head in the negative.

The Devil has never cuddled. He needs to fix this.

“Well, I guess there is a first time for everything. Come here.”

Jongin lets himself be pulled closer, careful, unashamed but confused still. Kyungsoo pulls his chest to him, enjoying the press of it all against his face, the goosebumps forming where he breathes. The scent of moon rays and ash desert is there and he loves it so much, loves to bury his head there, against Jongin’s heart.

The other seems to understand, and he pulls the cover over their naked bodies, one arm coming to curl around Kyungsoo’s waist to pull him even closer. “Should I stay until you fall asleep?”

Kyungsoo already has his eyes closed, a hand around the other’s chest, palm pressed against his scar. The feeling of his embrace is everything Kyungsoo has been deprived off without knowing it, it is everything he didn’t know he wanted up to this point. He cannot lose this now. Never.

He guesses this is how he comes to say it, words slipping out of his tired mind.

“Stay forever.”

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Jongin is burning.

Fire is spreading everywhere on his skin with the touch of Kyungsoo’s hand over his scar.

No one has ever touched him there. No one has ever dared.

He could sleep if he wanted even though he doesn’t need it. But he cannot bring himself to, not when his Soul Breaker is pressed against him, so firmly and so tight, unwilling to ever let him go.

It echoes trough him, music to his ears, a song filling the empty void inside.

_Stay forever._

He… What is he doing?

They just had sex. Kyungsoo’s taste and sent still clinging to Jongin’s skin like a drug, addictive. It shouldn’t matter to Jongin. It shouldn’t.

But it does.

He feels… he feels as if he would fight anyone and everything to keep this priced treasure in his arms, breathing against his chest.

He…

He has the sword, he can go. His brothers are ready, perfect in their willingness to exact their revenge, to slaughter Heaven, reduce it to ashes.

They could go now. They could leave and win. So, what is he still doing here?

For all his logical need to escape and lay waste to his past, he cannot move.

Why can’t he move?

He is the Devil, for Seth’s sake. He is eternal in his rage, darkness overcoming light, devastatingly beautiful in his sin.

And yet, yet there isn’t anything sinful here. There isn’t any darkness in Kyungsoo’s touch. There is just fire, protective and possessive flames.

What is this? Why does someone want him like this? Why does he want back so much?

Should he move, he should. He shouldn’t. Why, what, how is this…?

How can he believe anything else now, anyone? How can he think, can he feel, can he do anything after this?

Is this yet another cage, another trick from his father?

No, it isn’t. He has created this for himself. Except it wasn’t supposed to be a cage. It was supposed to be a bridge towards something more. Towards greatness.

Does greatness matter? Does anything else matter but the hot breath caressing his skin?

He unlaces from the other’s touch. He grabs his shirt and leaves the room, eyes clouded and mind confused.

He steps inside Baekhyun’s room without thinking. The other turns around, surprised at his interruption.

His expression darkens when he sees him.

“I need you to kill him,” he says to his brother, eyes desperate, pleading. “Kill him. I cannot… I need… Kill him. Do it while he sleeps.”

Baekhyun steps closer instantly, leaving what he is doing to come trap Jongin’s face in his hands, willing Jongin to watch him, to focus.

“Jongin, listen to me. You don’t want to hurt him. You don’t want to hurt Kyungsoo.”

Jongin is lost, lost in the pull of his stomach and the fog in his head.

“It hurts. Why does it hurt? He is supposed to serve me, not I him… Baekhyun, you need to kill him.”

Baekhyun shakes his head, eyes burying deep inside Jongin’s. “Think about what you’re saying. Brother, please. This isn’t what you want.”

But it is. He cannot bear this. Baekhyun sees the resolve in his eyes and he backs away, suddenly dark and hurt. “Jongin… don’t make me do this.”

He… He cannot take this pain, this burn, want, exposure, disconnection, oblivion. He cannot bear the indescribable desire to stop everything, to trap the moment in for eternity. He wants wants wants, burns so bright he feels like Hell is finally torturing him. He has lost all sense of purpose, all will.

“Take him away. Kill him,” he orders and there is no hesitation in his voice.


	16. Chapter 16

Kyungsoo opens his eyes and he is standing in the rain.

There is no manor, no brothers, no Jongin.

There is just the sword, the stone and his gun.

Something pains him, an echo in his chest as he looks down, opening his shirt.

He can almost taste it when he looks at it. There is a wound there, right over his heart.

What has _he_ done?

Rain falls so heavily it drenches his bones but he doesn’t care, cannot see it. He closes his shirt and draws a deep breath in.

It seems he is dead.

He doesn’t really know what he expected but he certainly didn’t expect it to feel like this. It’s just… dull.

Durandal sings, demands his attention and he grabs the handle. He sees through the sword now as it is resting in his room, watching over him as he sleeps.

He sees Jongin as he bolts out, sees the fear and confusion in his eyes. It is all directed at the man lying on the bed. At him.

The next person to step in is Baekhyun, eyes empty, moving with purpose but devoid of any emotion. He isn’t himself, he is a puppet being manipulated by further strings.

He strikes Kyungsoo in the heart and retires, all mechanically. Kyungsoo knows, he doesn’t realize what he has just done.

He isn’t moving anymore, the man on the bed. He isn’t breathing. Besides him is the painful howl of Cerberus as he watches, sadness in his eyes as the life pours out of Kyungsoo in dark waves of blood.

The color of _his_ eyes.

He releases the handle and his body comes back alive, taking in his surroundings. He is standing in an empty field, drops clouding his vision like clouds the sky.

He is supposed to be dead but he feels alive. So alive.

He starts to walk. He doesn’t have a destination, but he knows where he is going.

He is going to kill the Devil.

 

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Jongin stands at Heaven’s door, sword in hand, twisted smile on his face.

Finally.

His brothers are beside him, all dressed in black, all armed with their weapons of choice.

Darkness twists around them, beautifully pleased.

The sword of the archangel roars in Jongin’s hands, tears his skin in such a delicious manner. He lets the feeling possess him, lets the pain set all of it loose.

Anger. Anger he has been keeping at bay for too long.

Anger at his father and his brothers, anger at Heaven, anger at light.

Anger at himself.

He is a traitor, a harbor of sin. He has betrayed everything and everyone he has ever known. He has given in to temptation, given in to darkness, manipulated, lied, killed mercilessly.

He has given Baekhyun a reason to hate himself. He has given the only person who could ever trust him completely, who could ever understand him, the only think he has ever given.

Death.

Pain.

Anger.

He has killed Do Kyungsoo.

The Devil is at Heaven’s door and he hates, hates so fully and completely it consumes him. He hates this world, he hates himself.

He hates with a burning passion, the only forbidden feeling in Heaven, the only thing capable of tearing it all down.

Hate breaks the locks. Hate tears through the wards like the edge of a blade.

The doors open wide, repelled by what is getting through them, repelled by darkness as all pure light is.

They walk in.

It hasn’t changed. The exact replica of Sehun’s tattooed colors, the beautiful unforgiving place.

It feels tasteless, it all feels tasteless.

The temple stands before them, the sun making its white façade gleam under their eyes, too bright to withstand.

They advance on the building, heavenly creatures retreating with fear.

The doors of the palace give in as easily.

The interior is as it was, pure marble and granite, a perfection of simplicity.

They are all waiting for them, the six brothers. The six other archangels. And alongside them is Jongin’s sole purpose of hating, God’s archangel of war.

Wu Yifan.

Besides him are the beacons of hope, all that is good personified. Junmyeon, Yixing, Luhan, Zitao, Chanyeol.

A dark smile twists on Jongin’s lips. “Brothers.”

They are all staring at them like they cannot recognize them, cannot understand what they have become.

Junmyeon is the first to step forward, as beautiful as he always was, eyes as blue as the sky and hair chestnut brown.

It reminds Jongin of another brown, a deeper, more meaningful brown. He doesn’t want to think about it.

It fuels his hatred, gasoline pure in his veins.

“Jongin, don’t do this,” Junmyeon asks soothingly.

To this Jongdae just laughs. “You mean like you didn’t do to us?”

Black meats blue, bitterness invading Junmyeon’s space, clouding the light with darkness. Jongdae’s anger tastes like ashes. Before his eyes, Heaven is already burning.

Sehun and Luhan are watching each other silently, Hell and Heaven’s best fighters sizing each other up after so long.

Minseok is starring at Yixing and Zitao with a smile of his own, gluttony as present as ever as he chooses his adversaries.

Baekhyun and Chanyeol are greeting each other silently, Baekhyun’s smile exquisite on his lips, Chanyeol’s eyes so wide, so full of feeling. He thought this was over.

It is far from over. It has only just begun.

Jongin is enjoying the sight of Yifan, eyes on the sword in his hand. He cannot seem to comprehend how Jongin obtained it. How he is being able to hold it.

He thinks Jongin is withstanding the pain the contact of the sword brings. But he isn’t.

Angels have never understood. The way isn’t to resist. It is to give in.

“Chanyeol told us everything,” Junmyeon says. “He can heal all of you. He can heal your darkness.”

It is Baekhyun who answers this time. “Darkness isn’t a disease, darling. Darkness is power.”

The angels know. They know they don’t stand a chance against them, especially with the sword at Jongin’s side.

Their minions are gathering outside, Jongin can feel it. The lower angels, the emissaries.

Yifan steps forward, eyes staring at Jongin only. “You have always been a child. You have a chance to change, to turn back and you refuse to take it, refuse to leave your pride behind.”

“It was never pride, brother,” Jongin answers, his lips curling on the word. “You always thought it was pride, but it was anger. The truth is, I don’t want to be a part of your world, not because of delusions of grandeur or control, but because I hate you all.”

“You are angry,” Junmyeon says and Jongin laughs darkly.

“I am angry indeed. Angry because, despite everything you and father preach, you cannot fathom difference. You judge from your pedestal, pretend to be so perfect, so devoid of flaws. But you are nothing but contempt. You fell long before I did.”

It strikes true, Junmyeon taking a step back. Yifan comes closer, eyes still on Jongin, on the sword in his hands.

“Baekhyun,” Chanyeol whispers, barely audible but deafening nonetheless. “I thought you loved me.”

And Baekhyun chuckles, charm and lust incarnate. “You don’t get it, do you? I love you _too much_ , Chanyeol.” He dares step closer, smiling. “I don’t just love you, I _want_ you. I am consumed by it.”

Temptation. Temptation consumes them all.

There is absolute silence as they stare at each other, fighting their own battles inside. Uncertainty blooms along resolve. The angels do not want to kill them but they will, they will if they insist.

To protect all that is good, all that is pure.

Jongin’s anger is pure. And he unleashes it.


	17. Chapter 17

Kyungsoo doesn’t know how he finds the elevator but he does. He presses the button to the lobby.

The manor is empty when he steps inside. The servants are gone, the demons as well. They’re all upstairs, ready to fight alongside their master. Ready to die for his revenge.

Kyungsoo walks inside and he calls for the thing he’s here to retrieve.

Cerberus comes running, eyes hooded with rage, a reflection of his owner’s.

“You’re ready to fight?” he asks the hound and it growls in response.

To war it is then.

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

He doesn’t know who engages first. It might have been Sehun, might have been him. It doesn’t matter. Nothing matters now.

Demons and emissaries are fighting each other outside. He can hear the screams, feel the agony of souls dying on both sides, darkness clashing against light unrestrained at last.

It is a perfect concerto to his own fight.

Angels do not use weapons except for the only weapon they need, the one Jongin is currently wielding. He is fighting Yifan who is trying to retrieve it, turning the blade against Jongin, pushing it against the tight mass of his muscles.

He is a better fighter, but Jongin has more than one trick up his sleeve.

The reason he’s always been better with guns is, they are deceitful little machines, bullets traitors offering a less than fair fight, flying in all directions, aimed true but scattering to touch the ones they weren’t supposed to.

He had custom bullets made. Tears of fallen angels, rare and reserved for their angelic brothers.

He throws away the sword for now, focusing on the two barrels, firing at vertiginous speed. Yifan steps around him, avoiding bullet after bullet, energy slipping out of him as he desperately tries to retrieve his weapon.

Jongin lets him try, leaves the illusion he can, that he will.

Besides him Sehun fights Luhan, swords against swords, the both of them using the marble pillars as obstacles between their skillful blows, the stone barely able to withstand the force and intent behind each strike.

Minseok fights with his bare hands, back against Jongdae’s as he fires his own gun. They tackle their three adversaries, breaking bones and tearing flesh. Jongdae has lost an eye but he doesn’t seem to care. Their rage mixes perfectly, passion burning brighter than any light when they are together.

Baekhyun fights a reluctant Chanyeol, two daggers in his hands, slashing mercilessly at the angel’s perfect skin with a smile.

Jongin’s own fight pulls him outside, on the steps of the temple that was once his home. His everything.

Except his everything is gone now. He found his salvation in bare human touch, in round human eyes, in heart shaped human lips and they are not here, they are not by his side.

The thought of the Soul Breaker distracts him long enough for Yifan to grab his sword.

It should alarm Jongin, but it really doesn’t.

“You’ve lost, brother,” Yifan declares. “The sword is impregnated with God’s intent. Its aim is true. I will kill all of you. It brings me no pleasure, but I will.”

He circles Jongin, his steps surer now that he has the sword in his hands.

That’s the sole weakness of swordsmen. They have absolute and complete faith in their weapon. They get accustomed to the weight and it lures them into a false sense of security.

Guns, guns can always fail. Guns can decide not to fire, can miss their targets, can kill the wrong person. And it’s all their beauty. Guns keep Jongin sharp, they keep him on edge.

“You’ve lost, Jongin,” Yifan announces and Jongin stops dead in his tracks, eyes round.

And then he laughs.

It’s terrible, the sound horrible to his own ears, twisted and dark. It resembles the wound in his back.

The Devil extends his arms and smiles. “Have I, brother? Have I?”

Yifan frowns and Jongin laughs again, caring to explain. “Look around you.”

And the archangel does, realizes what is happening.

It is raining, but not any type of rain.

It is raining blood.

Bodies lay at their feet, burned to the highest degree, faces set in horror, skin torn apart pouring liquid crimson.

Death. Death is at Heaven’s doors.

Yifan is horrified, eyes going wide, despair a beautiful sound escaping his lungs, torment of the most delicious kind. Jongin smiles, brighter than he ever has.

He fires.

The bullet finds Yifan’s chest and he takes a step back, red coming to splash the white of his clothes perfectly.

When he raises his eyes, hatred is burning as surely as in the Devil’s eyes.

“This is all your fault! You’ve caused this! Father will never tolerate it!”

Jongin loses his smile, suddenly focused on his brother, darkness lacing his words. “Go ahead, Yifan. Call him. I dare you. Call him and see if he answers.”

And Yifan is tempted, tempted to test his faith, his connection to the light. He almost prays to God.

“No,” he finally says. He raises the sword, surer this time, ready to strike down what was once his brother.

Jongin sights, arming his guns, shaking his head. “Brother, will you ever learn?”

His is ready to finish this.

If his father doesn’t intervene, then so be it. He will kill his precious creatures.

He will destroy his angels.


	18. Chapter 18

Kyungsoo takes the elevator again, pressing the highest button, knowing very well where it will lead him.

Heaven.

He never intended on going there, never believed he deserved a seat at the golden table of paradise. He isn’t about to take one now.

Cerberus growls as the doors open, revealing gates of a gigantic size, engraved in Enochian, beautiful images of angels succoring humans. It’s a load of bullshit, something Kyungsoo knows to be a lie.

Heaven helps who Heaven wants to help. Humanity in its whole has been damned a long time ago.

All he’s interested in is the crack in the strong metal, the gaping hole in the protecting barrier.

The Devil has done this, has broken through light like fire through trees, burning everything in its path, destroying everything it touches.

They step inside and Kyungsoo finally understands the meaning of the word chaos.

Demons are fighting angels and emissaries, a raging battle of light against darkness, a mess of the balance that holds the world together. He doesn’t even want to think about the war that must rage on the ground, the waste that must be humanity.

If he’s honest with himself, he doesn’t really give a fuck.

Heaven, if it was once beautiful, is tainted now. It is dripping blood, quite literally, falling over Kyungsoo’s skin and staining his white shirt.

Someone comes to stand before him, someone insignificant. An emissary, a man he is going to slash to pieces. Cerberus growls at his feet, ready to attack the creature threatening him.

“Soul Breaker.”

It’s all the introduction he gets before they begin to fight. It takes him a minute to decapitate the man, but it’s a minute too long, a waste of his precious time.

What he needs is to find the Devil, so he can sink the sword deep in his chest.

He lets Cerberus advance freely, lets it fight whatever it wants while he searches for his own target.

He spots Sehun as he advances, cutting through both emissaries and lower angels, focused on his goal. The fallen angel is fighting exceptionally well, no help needed on his part.

It’s not Baekhyun’s case.

For all his desire of revenge, Kyungsoo is unable to forget the pain he felt when he watched the brothers die in his dream, the loneliness he experienced, the very emotion he promised himself he would never feel again.

Baekhyun might have killed him, but he was only the instrument. Not the judge, but only the executioner.

He’s wounded, fighting a fierce Chanyeol who looks very different from the one he met on the ground, the one he kept trapped in Hell.

Whatever restraint Chanyeol had, it’s long forgotten now.

He’s holding Baekhyun’s throat, his body not touching the ground as he tries to slip out of the death grip the angel has on him.

It pisses Kyungsoo off because he’s the only one who’s authorized to kill the fallen angel if he ever becomes too annoying, and Chanyeol will not steal his privilege.

He’s also kind of attached to the small man but it’s not something he’s quite ready to admit.

“Hey, Chanyeol! Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?!” Kyungsoo aggressively screams to his back.

The angel whirls around and he releases Baekhyun, eyes finding Kyungsoo’s. “You’re hardly my size, Soul Breaker.”

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes and sights. It’s only a turn of phrase, but it appears angels are oblivious to human language. He’s also a little relieved Baekhyun is okay, even if he is lying on the floor coughing blood.

He looks up to him with fear, his throat so horribly burned Kyungsoo wonders how he is able to speak. “Run, Kyungsoo,” he warns.

What even is this world where fallen angels protect him over actual angels?

Now, he’s really pissed.

He whirls Durandal in his hand and the sword understands. It _sees_ , sees the pain before its eyes and the way the things Kyungsoo has come to hold dear are hurt, wounded.

The stone gleams angrily, filled with the souls of heavenly creatures, growing in power, as ready to strike as its sharper counterpart.

Something snaps inside of Kyungsoo, because he’s had to put up with all this bullshit for too long. He didn’t escape a death sentence for _this_ , this fuckery. Who the hell do those angels think they are, coming to attack him and pry at his already broken soul? He isn’t a fucking toy they can chew on.

He’s the fucking Soul Breaker.

And the Soul Breaker has one job. It is to protect Hell and all its inhabitants. He will be damned, more than he already is if he’s going to let a petulant angel twice his size stop him.

Do Kyungsoo has already lost one family, the Soul Breaker will not lose another.

His decision, his resolve, his anger, it all roars freely. The sword in his hands hears it, hears the call and it agrees, sings for him to use its exceptionally sharp edge to strike fear into his enemies’ hearts.

Durandal gives him ownership. Fucking finally.

He whirls around at top speed and strikes Chanyeol. The blade finds his stomach and traces an angry red line there. Chanyeol pushes it away but Kyungsoo drives it in, piercing the skin of his palm and slashing through muscles mercilessly. Chanyeol screams.

Enough of this.

“I know you love him, you fucking moron,” he screams. “I know you love him and yet you hurt him,” he strikes again and cuts the back of Chanyeol’s thighs, making him fall on his knees. “WHY ARE YOU HURTING HIM IF YOU LOVE HIM?!”

He stands before the angel, blade to his heart, ready to repeat the whole I-drove-a-sword-through-your-chest process. Except it will be definitive this time. He won’t just trap his soul. He will kill him.

“Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun calls and he looks up sharply to find the beautiful man starring back at him, eyes boring deep into his. “Jongin didn’t mean it. He didn’t know what he was doing.”

Why is he talking about Jongin?! Why is he mentioning _him_ all of a sudden, just when he’s ready to strike Chanyeol down?!

“This piece of shit hurt you! Don’t you want me to kill him?” he asks Baekhyun as the angel lowers his eyes. He isn’t trying to fight back, isn’t trying to stop the Soul Breaker from doing exactly what he intends to.

“I love this piece of shit, darling,” Baekhyun answers with a smile. “And he wasn’t fighting me, he was fighting himself.”

Kyungsoo lowers his gaze and finally he understands.

Chanyeol isn’t trying to resist because Chanyeol doesn’t want to choose. Baekhyun is offering him something, something different from Heaven, from light, and it scares the shitt out of Chanyeol how much he wants it, how much he wants to fall.

If Kyungsoo kills him, he makes the choice in his place.

He lets the sword rest to his side and watches as Chanyeol pleads him to end it all with his eyes. The blue is tainted with darkness, with the weight of the decision he has to make.

“You’re an idiot, Park Chanyeol,” is all he says before he turns around, leaving both men on the ground to go find the one thing he’s here for.

All that he’s said to Chanyeol, he knows wasn’t really directed at him. Baekhyun mentioned Jongin for a reason. Those things, those words, he wants to throw them to the Devil’s face.

He’s not a toy.

He is rooting neither for Heaven, neither for Hell at this point. He is rooting for himself and himself is going to tell one party to put it on hold while he has a well-deserved conversation with the darker side.

 

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Jongin feels him as soon as he enters Heaven. His Soul Breaker, his other half.

He is angry, very very angry.

Jongin wants to see him, is desperate to find him amongst the endless oceans of bodies. He is scarred something will happen, that someone will touch him without his consent.

At the same time, he feels… giddy. A strange sensation crawling up his spine, making him grin like a maniac while he fights his brother.

He has killed the Soul Breaker and yet he has found a way back upstairs. He simply refuses to die.

He is distracted and Yifan strikes, wounding his arm. He grits his teeth and focuses back on the archangel. He has a reason to finish this, a reason to get back home.

There are whole new endless possibilities opened to him now and he sure isn’t going to waste them here.


	19. Chapter 19

Kyungsoo finds him at last.

It’s like a punch to the gut, emotions twirling endlessly as he sees what the Devil really is.

A monster of raging beauty.

His skin shines as he fights, blood rippling down his muscles, darkening the darkest of black. He fires without rest at his adversary, a smile on his face.

The man he fights is tall, brown hair cut short, face sharp and lean, eyes of a piercing golden color. Everything about him screams authority. He fights like a trained soldier, precise and deadly but only ever striking when he needs to, only ever aiming at vital parts.

Jongin is much different. Jongin is toying with him.

It feels wrong. The way he disrespects the other man, the way he doesn’t meet his sword, the way he fires endlessly, barely giving the other man time to breathe.

It feels wrong and yet it feels right because the moment Kyungsoo spots the wounds on Jongin’s body, he wants to drown the other man in bullets and separate his head from his body.

No one is ever allowed to hurt the Devil but himself.

He fights an emissary as his attention is focused on the two men. He watches as Jongin puts a bullet through Yifan’s thigh and lets another ricochet against the blade of his sword to find a vein on his shoulder. The taller man falls back, eyes accusing his adversary of treachery and malice. Of cheating.

There’s only an angel to accuse someone of cheating in a fight.

There are no rules there, no rules but the ones they make and Jongin has decided to make new ones.

He aims at the angel’s hand and the sword falls to land back in Jongin’s palm.

The archangel, because it can only be him, is defeated.

Kyungsoo cuts down the emissary he is fighting before he marches towards the Devil. His final destination.

He must sense his presence because he turns around, red eyes immediately finding his.

_You’re going to pay for what you did_ , he voices in his head and he doesn’t need to say anything out loud, the Devil simply understands.

 

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Chocolate brown is everywhere.

The rain is blood, thick and unforgiving. But he is walking through it, his sword soaked and glistening.

And all Jongin can see are his eyes, as soaked with rage.

He is not giving a second look to the emissaries, to the angels he is slaying. All he is looking at is Jongin.

He gets up, stands waiting at the end. Smiles as Kyungsoo reaches him.

But then he swings Durandal towards him.

Jongin blocks the attack. He can read Kyungsoo’s determination, the boiling eyes as he watches the Devil.

“Kyungsoo,” Jongin calls but the other man strikes again, not hearing him.

“How could you? How could you do this to me?!”

Jongin wants to explain but he can no longer talk.

“You betrayed me,” Kyungsoo says, voice warm with resolve.

Their swords clash and sparks fly between them. “You killed me and I’m gonna make you regret it,” Kyungsoo warns.

They fight, equals, as skilled as the other. Jongin’s skin is slick with blood, just like the Soul Breaker’s. They look exactly the same.

So different and yet so similar. Blinded by rage. Selfish and selfless. Pain brighter and darker than all of Heaven or Hell.

Jongin did what was needed. He killed him because he couldn’t have him here, the possibility of losing him…

He doesn’t want to fight him now. He doesn’t want to harm him. He’s uncapable of it.

He lowers his sword and lets Kyungsoo threaten him willingly. There is unchecked anger in his eyes as he points the tip of the weapon at Jongin’s throat, drawing a single drop of blood from the Devil. He is breathing heavily, challenging in his devastating beauty.

He is everything Jongin wants and more.

They watch each other, as they always do. Moments pass and still Kyungsoo doesn’t do anything, doesn’t kill him.

It’s as good an admission as any.

Jongin pushes the sword away and he grabs Kyungsoo, pulling him closer, closer than they ever will be. And then he crashes his lips against his.

Kyungsoo bites, unforgiving. He doesn’t let go of the sword, but his other hand pulls on Jongin’s hair, lips drinking his, tongue mapping, teeth clashing against teeth.

He is intoxicating. His Do Kyungsoo. His Soul Breaker.

They kiss until they can no longer breathe, or at least the human can’t. He stands there, holding Jongin so close he is practically melting with the heat of his breath on his skin.

Kyungsoo opens his eyes, fixes them on Jongin. He looks like a mess, a dangerous killer, the darkest kind.

“I fucking hate you,” he bites and Jongin smiles, hand coming to trace the line of his jaw, tilting his head up to watch him. “Likewise,” he answers, drunk on all their glory.

He gets to enjoy the fire in Kyungsoo’s eyes, burning for him and solely for him.

Suddenly it changes. The Soul Breaker stiffens in his arms and grunts in pain. Jongin doesn’t understand, fails to understand until he looks past Kyungsoo, to Yifan who has fired an arrow at him.

“No!” he lets out hopelessly.

The Soul Breaker is losing his footing, eyes fixed on Jongin, hands gripping his arms. Their bond screams, forcefully trying to be broken, desperate as it resists the assault.

The bond has overcome Kyungsoo’s death, it will overcome this.

Except now Kyungsoo’s blood is on his hands and his eyes are turning distant.

“Jongin…” he calls and his voice is too faint, so faint Jongin hates to hear this version of it.

He demands it all to stop. His eyes turn stormy as he sees the pain, the hurt in the other man’s eyes. No one can hurt the Soul Breaker but him.

He pushes the man behind him, rage flaring as he faces Yifan, ready to slash and kill. He fires another arrow at the smaller man and Jongin catches it with his bare hand.

Anger is black in his veins, making his eyes shine bright crimson red.

How dare he?! How dare he touch _his_ Soul Breaker?!

All that he has been feeling up to this point is nothing compared to the inhuman rage, the burning desire to tear down anything and everything that comes to stand between Kyungsoo and him.

He may have killed him, destroyed him, but he won’t let anybody touch him. No one but him, forever him.

Yifan advances, dangerous, threatening. But he is nothing to Jongin, nothing.

“Once I’ve killed you, I’ll make him pay for your sins, Jongin. I’ll make him _suffer_.”

Jongin grits his teeth, and so begins the dance. It is a fight Yifan cannot win, Jongin just knows. If he could only see how far he is willing to go, he would know it too.

The bond is frail, wavering dangerously. The Devil glances back and he sees Kyungsoo leaning over Sehun, glassy eyes fixed on him.

Jongin realizes that if Kyungsoo dies here, he will never come back. Heaven is no place for dark spirits.

He thinks about Kyungsoo’s smooth voice, his warm breath, his burning touch, the softness of his thighs and the thrill of his lips moaning out his name. He thinks about his anger, thinks about his insubordination, thinks about his eyes when they fight. His eyes when they want.

Kyungsoo is his. And Jongin is Kyungsoo’s. He killed him and the Soul Breaker came back. He betrayed him and Kyungsoo forced his way to Heaven to punish the Devil himself.

Oh, how Jongin loves him.

It’s deeper, stronger than love. Burning, dark and raw, untamed. He doesn’t care what it’s called. He feels it, deeper in his bones than darkness or light, deeper than Heaven or Hell, than God or his brothers.

It’s undeniably there, for him to treasure, for him to worship.

And all of this, all of Do Kyungsoo, he is losing.

He cannot allow this.

Something roars inside of him, calling to life the thing they call the Devil, a pure blast of power. Darkness twirls around as black wings appear.

They are burned, as burned as Jongin’s skin, as burned as his heart.

His eyes are completely red now.

He discards Yifan, putting up an invisible barrier between the archangel and him as he climbs the stairs towards his love, his half, his Soul Breaker.

Do Kyungsoo watches him and Jongin knows he knows what he feels. What they both feel.

“I swear to god, if you kill me again, I’m gonna whoop your ass,” Kyungsoo grits between clenched teeth.

Jongin helps him up and holds him close. “I’m sorry for this.”

“You’re leaving?” Kyungsoo asks, brows furrowed.

“Not without you,” the Devil answers, nuzzling against the other man. He’s missed him terribly.

“But… What about him? What about your reveng…” Kyungsoo cannot finish his sentence as he tumbles backwards. He yelps, something infinitely weaker and more fragile than Jongin has ever witnessed and he tugs him closer, protects him in the strong cage of his arms.

Yifan is approaching, menacing and Jongin snaps his eyes back to Sehun. “Brother, now.”

Sehun’s face is set in determination. “Are you sure?”

He knows if he wants, Sehun will take Kyungsoo back to Hell safely. But as Jongin watches the Soul Breaker struggling to stay up, he knows he cannot leave him again. He can lose this revenge. He will take Heaven again, he’ll find a way.

But whatever happens, he won’t lose the only thing easing millennials and centuries of pain.

He nods and Sehun summons the elevator, getting them out of here just as Yifan reaches to grab him. He takes a step back, burned by the darkness emanating from Jongin and the Devil smiles, pleased.

“Wait until I find you again, brother. Wait and see who suffers.”

And just like that, they are gone.


	20. Chapter 20

Kyungsoo cannot breathe. His lungs are burning, his vision clouding, life slipping out of him like a river overflowing the shore.

Jongin is here. The Devil is back by his side. And their bond is stronger than ever before, reinforced by Jongin’s resolve, his decision.

He has given up everything he wished for, everything he worked so hard to accomplish just to save him.

A human being. A simple life.

Kyungsoo does not know what he is supposed to do, supposed to say. All he can do is cling to Jongin as if his life depends on it, because it kind of does.

He’s falling, falling into the abyss but he has the Devil beside him.

He has him trapped in his arms, his forehead resting against the other’s, his eyes fixed on him while Kyungsoo wheezes, feet barely supporting his frame.

He’s glad, glad that if he dies it’s like this, holding onto the creature he so dearly esteems.

The creature he loves.

He didn’t think he’d ever feel this again, not after the disappearance of his family. He had willingly closed himself off from the world, from emotions and the pain they bring along with them.

But this feels like more. Inevitable.

Jongin has killed him, betrayed and destroyed him, and yet he stands there, against him, his world, his everything.

His Devil.

Kyungsoo has fallen for him, perhaps from the moment their eyes met and he saw the red blood color.

The doors of the elevator open and Sehun steps out immediately, barking orders for the doctor to come at once.

“Can you walk?” Jongin asks, hands holding his waist with strength and so much softness. His eyes are wide, back to their normal color, worry clear alongside something else. Something beautiful, directed at everything that is not him.

Wrath.

He tries but he fails and Jongin catches him, scooping him in his arms before carrying him inside the mansion.

Kyungsoo should complain but he no longer has the strength.

He lays Kyungsoo down on the table in the middle of all couches, the doctor approaching immediately. She reaches for Kyungsoo and Jongin whirls around, towering the poor soul with all his might and power.

When he recognizes her, he backs down, instincts still flaring. It scares the doctor so much Sehun has to push her forward for her to get back to work.

She will be destroyed if she touches the Soul Breaker without permission, but she will suffer a fate far worse if she doesn’t save him.

He feels Jongin roaming around him as the doctor works.

The pain surges as she rummages through his insides, getting the arrow head out of his stomach. He screams, unable to reign it. All he can see is red and black, all he can feel are the tools working inside of him.

The pain is suddenly gone, replaced by warmth. He hears Sehun arguing with someone. “Jongin, stop! Let her work.”

Kyungsoo moves the slightest, opening his eyes. Jongin is standing beside him, hand on his stomach, growling towards the doctor menacingly.

“Jongin…” he calls, voice broken and low.

The Devil turns around immediately, eyes turning from stormy to worried and protective. He leans forward and Kyungsoo grabs his shirt, grip viscerally strong.

“Let the fucking doctor fix me before you go all fucking territory on me…”

Jongin seems shocked for a second. Then he laughs, music to Kyungsoo’s pissed off hears.

“All right.” His eyes are gleaming as he steps aside, letting the doctor work. She sends Kyungsoo a quick thank you before she resumes her unpleasant task.

It hurts terribly, and he does what he can not to fall into the welcoming darkness. He knows if he sleeps now he might not wake up again.

She’s done at fucking last and he hears her prescribe some medication and blood, immediately required. Jongin nods before coming to caress his face.

“Sleep now, my love. I’ll be there when you wake up. I promise.”

Kyungsoo is not sure he believes him, but he cannot struggle further. His eyes close, his heart filled with those words.

_His love_.

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

When Kyungsoo opens his eyes, he feels disoriented. The ceiling is familiar. He is back in his room.

There is something in his arm, a needle of some kind and he’s tempted to yank it out but knows better to.

His hand searches the side of the bed instantly, eager to get back up and in control. But his fingers find warm flesh instead and he turns around to find red eyes watching him.

He is submerged with memories, feelings and terrible, burning affection.

“Are you stalking me?” he asks and the Devil chuckles, sliding closer.

He rests on Kyungsoo’s side, arms pinning him in place as the taller roams over his frame. He’s recovered quickly, quicker than a human would.

“How are you feeling?” Jongin asks, his hand coming to caress his jaw, his neck, his bare chest.

Kyungsoo feels his body roar to life by his mere presence. He shouldn’t feel so riled up so soon after nearly dying, but he does. He cannot help what the Devil does to him.

However, before he gives in, there are some things they need to sort out.

Like Heaven’s fate. Like Jongin killing him.

“How are the others?”

Jongin answers sternly. “They are all back and alive, Cerberus as well. I don’t remember asking you to bring my precious hound to Heaven. I kept it here for a reason.”

Kyungsoo huffs and shakes his head in disbelief. “Are they wounded?”

Jongin tilts his head, thinking. “Baekhyun and Jongdae mostly. But nothing a little darkness can’t fix.”

Kyungsoo nods and he gazes into Jongin’s eyes, finding the courage to say what he really wants to say.

“Why’d you do it?” he asks, eyes stern on the taller man. The Devil stops touching him and Kyungsoo is almost tempted to pull his hand back on him, not caring whether or not they discuss this.

But no, he stands his ground, bores his eyes into the other’s soul.

Jongin’s eyes are pained and he closes them. “I was scared,” he says and Kyungsoo stares at the beauty before him, the vulnerability.

“And so?” he asks again, merciless.

The Devil opens back his eyes, amused and hurt at the same time. “You are ruthless, aren’t you?”

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes and crosses his arms over his chest. It’s a bad idea because it tears at his wound. He winces and Jongin doesn’t miss it, his hand coming to hold his head so that the smaller looks up into his eyes.

Well, he’s stuck now.

“I was scared this exactly would happen. That you would get hurt,” Jongin answers and Kyungsoo raises one brow. “So you just straight up kill me?”

It’s Jongin’s turn to roll his eyes. “Seth, you are difficult.”

He doesn’t let go of Kyungsoo however and burns his gaze into his, trying to get the message through the smaller’s thick head.

“I knew if one of us killed you, you wouldn’t die. You’d come back. But I didn’t think you’d be able to come back up on your own, let alone reach Heaven to come fight with us.”

It’s Kyungsoo’s turn to frown. “You didn’t want me to fight?”

Jongin is serious, focused entirely on him. “I was afraid to lose you. I’m still afraid to lose you, my love.”

“Fuck, don’t call me that,” Kyungsoo exhales through gritted teeth. He can’t stand this. It’s too much, way too much.

It stirs his cock to attention, makes his stomach coil and his heart beat a hundred times per minute. He is so close, so damn close to lose his shit because, fuck, the Devil is right there, the Devil for fuck’s sake, and he’s calling him his love.

The possessiveness, the protectory instinct, everything the Devil feels towards him, he’s never had. And this, this name, _his_ love. He wants it, he wants all of it.

It consumes him just right, perfectly, making him go insane, completely and totally insane.

He sees Jongin pull away, retract, eyes hooded and hurt. He thinks Kyungsoo doesn’t want this, doesn’t feel the same way.

It couldn’t be further from the truth, from all truths of the universe.

Jongin is prepared to turn around, combing a hand through his hair. “I…”

But Kyungsoo doesn’t let him finish, grabs his face and topples them over.

It hurts but fuck the IV, fuck his wound, fuck everything.

“Shut up,” he says before he crashes his mouth against the Devil’s.

He doesn’t let him catch his breath, assaults his jaw, marks him just as much as he wants to be marked, straddles his lap and grinds. He drinks him in, drinks the sight of his disheveled self, eyes burning with lust, lips red, skin showing Kyungsoo’s marks.

“You’re going to listen to me, you fucker,” he slams the words against him, forces his eyes to focus, wills his mind to understand.

Jongin is silent, watching him with his hands gripping his waist, keeping him right there, towering over him.

“I’m going to stay by your side, whatever happens. And you’ll tell me everything, because this was our deal. Everything that goes through your ridiculously beautiful mind otherwise I swear I’m going to drive that sword through your fucking stomach, you idiot.” He pauses, catching his breath. “Don’t you dare run away from me, don’t you dare. Not ever again.”

Jongin is watching him silently and Kyungsoo stares back, his hand coming to caress his skin, his face. He lets everything out, leaves all of his restraints down the drain. There’s no use for them now, he’s fallen already.

His voice breaks, breaks like he’s never let it break before, tears at his heart and insides as surely as that arrow head.

“You have to promise me because, Jongin, I want you. I want you so much, so so fucking much it hurts, my love. It hurts.”

He’s said it now. He’s said everything.

Jongin pushes him back, head at the end of the bed. He lands between his legs, mouth on his, claiming his body as surely as his mind.

“I promise,” he whispers hotly between kisses. His eyes are so dark, clouded like never before. “I promise you’ll always stay by my side, and I’ll never run away from you. Never.”

He works a hand down, undoing both their pants fast, expert and in control.

“And you’ll never run away from me. You’re mine, Do Kyungsoo. Do you hear me? _Mine_.”

He is, so irrevocably. He never wants to be anyone else’s.

Jongin rubs their erections together, the friction sending thrills down his spine. He’s never needed someone like he needs Jongin now. He wants their bodies to be one, just like their minds.

Jongin teases his hole, works him open with one finger slowly. Kyungsoo doesn’t resist, lets his walls close so perfectly around Jongin’s skin.

Jongin stops after the third finger and gets back down to suck on Kyungsoo’s dick, his mouth sinfully building up the pleasure inside of him. His eyes roll back in his head as he grips Jongin’s hair, yanks him further down until he’s almost fucking his mouth.

But it isn’t enough, and he moans out the Devil’s name.

Jongin understands and he comes back to assault his mouth, aligning his cock with Kyungsoo’s hole before he pushes inside. Kungsoo takes it all in, eyes fixed on the other. He’s never been so aroused in his entire life. He is feeling so full, so complete.

Somehow this is his missing piece.

Their tongues meet outside of their mouths in a sensual dance while Jongin thrusts deep, holding him so close, so tight he can feel the bruises coming, hurting when the wound wakes up and screams.

He doesn’t care. It’s nothing compared to the pleasure.

It overcomes him, all too much, all too slow. They’re taking their time, all their time. After all, they have all the time in the world.

“Kyungsoo…,” Jongin whispers against his neck and the Soul Breaker grips his hair tighter, scratches at his strong shoulders, pushing him in deeper, increasing the pace, changing the dynamic.

Jongin loses himself inside of him and Kyungsoo does the same. They move perfectly together, breaths hot on each other’s skins. Kyungsoo watches Jongin and the adoration mixed with the darkness in his eyes makes him cum under the other’s fingertips.

He screams, loud, not a care in the world. He wants people to know this is his, all his. This eternal sin.

The Devil, belonging to a little human.

He watches as Jongin’s drives into him faster at the call of his name and cums in his turn, eyes beautifully tainted, breath short, hair a total and complete mess where Kyungsoo has driven his hands.

They breathe together, strong and beautiful. Unstoppable and so vulnerable. The most perfect contrast Kyungsoo has ever seen.

He smiles, smiles widely at Jongin, and Jongin returns his smile. He nuzzles into Kyungsoo’s shoulder, breathing him in. “I’ve missed you terribly.”

Kyungsoo laughs, an honest laugh he doesn’t try to suppress. It feels good. He hasn’t laughed in ages.

Jongin watches him with open eyes. “We were apart for a couple of hours only,” Kyungsoo comments and the taller grunts, laying him down next to him.

Jongin sliding out of him feels like a loss but he immediately traps him back in his arms. “It was already too long,” he grumbles against Kyungsoo’s skin and he lets him, combing a hand through his dark hair, eyes closing with exhaustion.

His wound is probably torn but it doesn’t matter. The Devil doesn’t sleep and he’s confident he’ll take care of him. Take care of all of him.


	21. Chapter 21

Jongin is watching Kyungsoo pet Cerberus’ heads, his eyes fixed on Sehun as he listens to the other man tell his story.

They’ve all escaped alive. But so have all the angels.

Heaven has been sealed back, along with the sword.

It should exasperate Jongin, but it doesn’t. He feels contented, satisfied with the state he has left Heaven in.

He’s shown what kind of power lies within darkness. He’s proved his father’s lack of consideration.

It seems he was busy keeping humanity from falling apart. He chose to protect them over his angels. They did not experience the rage, despair. The battle between Heaven and Hell did not have any impact over them.

He knows Heaven will retaliate eventually. He’s started a war, a war his brothers will want to fight vehemently now that he’s destroyed their world.

He expects defections, on both Heaven and Hell’s sides.

He’ll have to unleash his knights soon enough. His four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

War, Famine, Pestilence, Death. Humanity will pay the price eventually. His father cannot protect them forever.

Whatever trials may come, he feels confident now he will overcome them all. He won’t make the same mistakes. He won’t leave his strongest weapon here.

His Soul Breaker.

He frowns as Baekhyun ruffles his hair, Kyungsoo pushing him aside, making the other pout. He calls Jongdae and they come to annoy the smaller man. Minseok waves them off, apologizing to Kyungsoo before sitting down next to Sehun.

The fight has left them scars: Baekhyun’s burned skin, Jongdae’s missing eye, Minseok’s bruises. Sehun is the only to have walked out unarmed, which isn’t that surprising to Jongin seeing how skillful his brother is.

They all take a seat for dinner, chatting excitedly. Jongin watches silently with a smile. His eyes meet Kyungsoo’s and the Soul Breaker frowns, sending his thoughts through their bond.

_Your brothers are dumb fucks. I’m going to bury their heads up their asses._

Jongin laughs and Kyungsoo smirks, light playing mischievously in his eyes.

Their moment is interrupted by a loud crashing noise. They all turn their eyes towards the staircase where a vase lies broken on the floor, a tall idiot staring at it like he somehow can fix it back with his eyes.

Jongin turns back around to see Baekhyun’s pained expression.

“Chanyeol, that was a Qianlong vase!”

He hears the taller’s hesitant answer. “Sorry?”

“It’s one of the world’s most expensive vase, darling. I bought it for fifty-three million…” Baekhyun is interrupted by Jongdae. “No one cares. His point is, Chanyeol, stop breaking shit.”

Chanyeol comes in his field of vision, ears red and eyes wide on Baekhyun. “I’m sorry, Baeky. I’m still not used to walking around without my… wings.” His voice dies down at the end and he sounds longing. Jongin winces.

That was Chanyeol’s undoing, his greed. He wanted both light and darkness, both Heaven and Hell. He wanted to serve their father, but he also wanted to stay by Baekhyun’s side.

And not to Jongin’s surprise, he has chosen Baekhyun.

Of course, he would.

The smaller shakes his head and pats the space beside him. He comes to sit and Baekhyun immediately leaves his space for his lap, hands resting against Chanyeol’s arms, his slender fingers tracing the defined muscles. “It’s all right, dearest. I will just replace it.”

He kisses Chanyeol’s jaw and the taller reddens even more if possible, eyes averting to the side.

He is still shy around the others, not used to physical contact just yet. _That_ surprises Jongin seeing how much physical contact he’s had with Baekhyun in the past few weeks.

It seems Baekhyun craves Chanyeol’s body as much as the other craves his.

The smaller man begins to argue with Sehun over something insignificant while his hand courses through Chanyeol’s silver hair. His blue and black eyes watch him affectionately, a bright smile coming to light up his whole face.

Jongin has a gag reflex. This is way too sweet for his liking.

Kyungsoo watches him with a smile, a brow climbing his forehead in an amused manner. Jongin just waves it off. If he starts fighting the Soul Breaker on this, he will end up spilling secrets about Jongin he’d rather keep hidden.

Sometimes he wonders who the Devil really is in this relationship.

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Kyungsoo is hunting when he hears it. The hurl of pain, the shift in the balance so strong it leaves him breathless for a moment.

Another angel has fallen.

Zitao Huang doesn’t want to fight his father’s wars anymore. He doesn’t want to kill his brothers. He is wary, always have been, knows now that he will always be.

He joins the six other brothers, the six deadly sins to form the final seventh. Sloth.

Hell sings, power roaring, complete.

It is ready for war, for the four Horsemen to be unleashed.

Later, Kyungsoo watches the mansion from the ash desert. He has chosen to isolate himself, leaving his constant connection to Jongin behind for a moment.

He needs to think.

Durandal rests against his shoulder, the comforting weight calling to him. He grasps the handle, steadying himself for what he is about to see.

It is the same dream he had months ago, the one with the archangel’s sword piercing the Devil’s chest, the one with Baekhyun screaming, Sehun bleeding, Minseok and Jongdae separated eternally.

He feels the same pain, the same burning need to prevent this.

The sword has been showing him the particular scene again and again, replaying it in his mind like a warning.

He was wrong to assume the threat was their first battle against Heaven. The real threat is this upcoming war, this new challenge they need to face.

The real threat is his humanity.

Because Kyungsoo is still at fault, he is still the one who lets an angel lose and he is still the one who condemns all of them.

His human half, his human half dreads this war and its consequences.

His hand releases the handle of the sword and his eyes come back into focus. He feels it instantly, the pull of _his_ mind, the strength of the bond.

He turns around, facing Jongin.

“I saw…,” he starts but Jongin steps closer, silencing him with a finger against his lips. “I know,” he says.

Kyungsoo watches him, the beautiful red a protective beacon, a reassuring light fighting his own.

“Do you trust me?” Jongin asks, hand coming to rest against his neck, tilting his head up. Kyungsoo nods, the sensation of the Devil’s touch burning him still, making his heart beat erratically.

“Then, stay by my side and nothing will happen. I promise you, my love. Nothing is stronger than this.”

He leans in and brushes their lips together. Kyungsoo’s whole world resides here, in the simple press of skin against skin, in the darkness of his love.

He is a fool to doubt them because together they can never fail, never will.

Jongin senses his resolve and he smiles against his lips. He breathes the same air Kyungsoo breathes and they both reveal in the sensation, in the unpredictable nature of all their choices, all their sins.

“Let’s finish what we started, Soul Breaker. Together,” Jongin whispers and Kyungsoo answers, determined chocolate brown meeting crimson red.

“Let’s rage war.”

 

_The End..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Allllllll right.  
> This has been a joyful ride and I want to thank every single one of you, you who've read the fic and made it this far, you who've left kudos.  
> I especially want to thank people who left comments (Dontmindme, zyxyeol, Emi, Just_July1, hopelessly_hopeful, floralnori) encouraging me and making me feel like the luckiest person on this fucking planet!  
> To my squad, all my lovely, adorable own little angels and fallen angels, the best of the best: Leena_K, cabbages, Dantella, AlicAlrres <3  
> I cannot thank you guys enough! I love you with all my heart!!! being so supportive and showering me with compliments... you've made me cry actual tears of joy.  
> I'm getting sappy now. Anyways, i hope you've all enjoyed it and liked the ending. There's one chapter missing, so stay tunned for a little extra, a bonus i've been working on for you all ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)  
> Thank you again for reading,  
> till next time...
> 
> signed, the true devil in this story ;)
> 
> [also, maybe, maybe a Soul Breaker 2???? idk.]


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> Here is the long overdue bonus. I know it is quite short, I apologize for that! I hope you still enjoy it ;)
> 
> Thanks again for all the love (kudos and comments)!!! I appreciate them more than i can ever express <333 (even though my answers are often repetitive, i mean every word every time). I wish you could see my face when someone tells me what they thought of the story. It's honestly the best gift.  
> I cannot help but mention my squad here, who has been supportive from the start. I've said this before but you guys know who you are and how you blessed me with your comments. I love you so fucking much, you have no idea...
> 
> For all those reasons, I think I will write a second part to this story... It will take a little time but I really want to :D You guys seem to enjoy it as well so there is no reason for me to stop now ;)
> 
> Again, thank you! I'm shutting up now XD

 

BONUS

Heaven, postbattle

 

_“You and I, we are worth more than orders, Chanyeol. We are worth more than anything. I thought… I thought you knew that.”_

_“Why are you trying to do this? How can you be so selfish, to tempt me like this, make me give up all that I care about?”_

_“Give up what, Chanyeol?”_

_“Heaven.”_

_“Heaven, Hell, what does it matter? Nothing matters but us. But you.”_

_“Can you promise to love me unconditionally, forever?”_

_“I can’t. I can’t and I won’t. It’s the whole point, Chanyeol. Love is beautiful because it is unsure. It could faint, disappear. But you have to have enough trust to throw yourself into it, and be damned with the consequences.”_

_“I could never do that. Baekhyun, I…”_

_“You have to choose. I cannot choose for you.”_

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Chanyeol lets his head bang against the marble pillar, again and again.

He keeps replaying the conversation in his head. He doesn’t know how he got there exactly, how he became so unsure, so tempted.

He used to be such a pure soul, a beacon of hope and trust. He embodied everything that was good in the world.

But now… Now, he doesn’t understand what he is.

His head, his head tells him that he _knows_ what is right. And of course, he does. Light is the answer. Helping humans is just what he does. What he’s always done. It is a noble and just cause. It is _right_.

His heart, however.

His heart remembers every little smile, every little touch, every little word. Every single dream.

And he’s had so many. So many dreams. Of Baekhyun. Of…

He can’t help but see it again, can’t help but imagine the smaller under him.

Is he this kind of person now, this kind of man? Is flesh all that he really wants?

No. No, it’s not. He wants his brother back by his side. He wants his smile when he talks to him. He wants every sweet nickname. He wants his attention and…

He wants his body.

Did it feel like this for Baekhyun when he fell? Was he confused like he is? Was he afraid?

Chanyeol feels the remorse creeping underneath it all, the guilt he’s felt for longer than he can remember. It’s his fault his brother fell. He didn’t pay attention when he should have. He didn’t prevent it from happening.

How very ironic the same thing should happen to him now.

Yixing is treating Yifan while Junmyeon stands beside them, eyes staring at the damage Jongin has inflicted upon his brother. There is no unnecessary movement, no words spoken for the sole purpose of comforting each other, no touches other than those strictly necessary.

It didn’t use to be like this. It is now, however. Every second of every day a rigid cold, his brothers as obedient and determined as good little soldiers. They fitted well with the marble décor.

They were never a perfect family, but their decay never reached such heights before, their loss so deep. Jongin, for all his faults, has only been the instrument of a hatred and anger harbored by more than just the most famous of fallen angels. Feelings have always been all too human. Something they loathe in Heaven and yet cultivate in the hearts of men. They have failed their mission to keep those feelings at bay.

He knows because he has been treating them, all day long, every day for the past centuries. They have all lost hope, lost their belief in a better god, a greater force.

What they believe in now is money. Money for food, shelter, medicine. Nothing more than coins. Humanity has lost so much, forgotten so many things. Faith. Faith has disappeared and cost Heaven its power.

Now, Hell rules over it all.

And although, Heaven isn’t perfect, Chanyeol will always choose it over Hell, over every single one of those flesh-rotten demons.

“We need to respond.” Luhan is waiting on the side, sharpening stone gleaming against his sword, sharpening the edge as if he is about to face his enemies, not as if he has just done so.

The warm flame of his hair is still stained with blood but he is already eager to face the fallen angels again.

“We can’t. We’re not strong enough,” Junmyeon speaks next, eyes still on Yifan, jaw set a little angrily.

“We are. Never doubt us,” the archangel tones, voice laced with authority.

Junmyeon stops, frowns and turns around to stare through the columns, where countless bodies lay still warm, flesh torn with such violence Chanyeol has ever seen. Death has never been so close to Heaven. They can all taste it on their tongue, see the whisper of the dead over the tree leaves and feel the cries of their lost souls echoing through their minds.

Chanyeol shivers.

“We must prevent further bloodshed.” His words are for them all. Zitao stares with disinterest, eyes dull and gone to places they will probably never come back from. Chanyeol focuses his attention back on all his brothers, making sure every single one of them is listening. “I have an idea.”

Yifan pushes Yixing’s hand away gently, focusing his golden eyes on the silver-haired giant.

“What is it?”

Chanyeol hesitates. What he is about to do, despite all he believes in, is abject and cruel. But he is sure that Heaven will never better Hell in this war. And if Hell were to win, it would be utter and total chaos. Years spent preserving peace to see it destroyed by the hands of his own brothers.

“Send me back to Hell as a spy.”

The air around them stills. The sun shines just a little, the barest ray. It is still better than the tears Heaven has shed, better than the hot thick blood.

He has all of Yifan’s intention now.

“Jongin thinks we will fight under his terms, wait patiently for him to attack first or to be upfront about our discontentment. Deception is not something he will expect.”

Junmyeon’s features shift, unease written in the wrinkles forming between his brows. “I’m not sure…”

But he is interrupted by the apparition of a second sun ray.

They have all learned to read the signs by now, even the simplest.

Their father is listening. And he seems to approve.

“How do you propose we do this?” Yixing asks, voice neutral and detached.

There it is. The real challenge. The thing he promised he would never do, never ever say.

“I will use Baekhyun.”

And it is there, in his brothers’ eyes. Disappointment. Shock. They are supposed to be good, the better party in this fight. But what he is proposing isn’t only revolting, it is utterly unexpected coming from him.

“Chanyeol…” Junmyeon starts but doesn’t finish.

Yixing plants his blue eyes into his and his voice falls. “I am against this.”

Chanyeol feels like someone has slapped him. Is he doing the right thing? Is this what their situation must lead to?

He loves Baekhyun, always has. He longs for his presence, more than he ever has, more than he ever will with anybody else.

But this, he must do. For Humanity’s sake. For their sake.

“You’ll have to fall,” Zitao remarks, his eyes on his brother suddenly spiked with interest.

“I won’t,” Chanyeol shakes his head vigorously. “I’ll disguise myself as if I had.”

The light shines bright on the temple now. Their father supports him, from wherever he is. Yifan does to.

The others come to nod after they see the light, even if they are still clearly uncomfortable with the idea. Yixing gets up and turns his back to them, eyes lost in the drawings on the marble floor.

“I won’t have any part in this.”

His decision is final, but it doesn’t seem to register with Yifan.

“Turn around, brother,” he orders and Yixing obeys. “Look. Look at what they’ve done. Jongin is going to destroy everything. Everything we have all worked so hard to preserve.”

Yixing’s eyes fall on the bodies outside the temple, the blood still warm on the faces set in a mask of horror. Their family, slaughtered by the hands of those they once trusted most. A tear escapes Chanyeol and he wipes it off quickly, his resolve hardened.

He will do this for them, not for himself. He will sacrifice the only thing he holds dearer than anything for the sake of his family.

“How do you plan on keeping your disguise once you reach Hell? You know we don’t have any power there. And what if they ask why you are here? You won’t be able to lie,” Zitao remarks.

Chanyeol turns his eyes towards the sun and he smiles. “Father will help us. He has enough power to keep my disguise in place. To keep my touch from burning them.”

He pauses as the rays caress his face with infinite tenderness. Their father agrees.

He finally turns around, eyes staring at Zitao with a new determination. “And they won’t ask.”

“Why?”

“Because, if Jongin’s strength is his family, it’s also his only weakness. He trusts Baekhyun. And Baekhyun trusts me.”

The eyes of Yixing shine with sadness. Zitao, him, watches him intently. Luhan smiles, gets up, clasps his back. “Who would have thought, Chanyeol, that you would be the one responsible for Hell’s downfall?”

The stone in his stomach drops, gives way to a shiver that overtakes his entire body until he breathes and stills.

What has he done?


End file.
